Substitute Heavenly Guardian
by shiroblade
Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki is the Captain of Squad Ten, and Toshiro Hitsugaya is the substitute shinigami. How will this change the story of Bleach? Inspired by Ice Prince Hitsugaya's Change One Side, Change the Story. Please R
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: I have always wondered what Bleach would be like if its most popular character, and my personal favorite, was the main character instead of Ichigo, and was inspired by the idea of Ice Prince Hitsugaya's Change One Side, Change the Story to try to make a story out of it. So thank you, Ice Prince Hitsugaya. This story will follow the original fairly closely, but the mere switching of the roles of certain characters should have some interesting impacts._

_Disclaimer: Bleach and all of its characters are the proterty of Tite Kubo. I own nothing in this story and have not made any money at all off of it. Please support the official release._

"I'm going to see the new Godzilla movie this weekend! Wanna come?"

"Of course! I've been trying to get my parents to let me see it for weeks now! Maybe they'll let me go if it's with a friend."

"Let's get to my house! I've got the latest Monster Hunter!"

"Man, that stuff never gets old!"

"Did you read that issue? That manga's _terrible_ now. I'm not buying another issue."

"I'm going to stick with it for a while. Maybe it'll get better again. Remember how amazing the first arc was?"

The students filed haphazardly out of the middle school, talking excitedly with their friends. When it appeared that the entrance had emptied one final figure emerged.

Shorter than all of his classmates, with his head held low, the boy had a shockingly white head of hair.

It was not Toshiro Hitsugaya's hair, however, that was the strangest thing about him. Any observer would have thought that unlike the other children, Toshiro was walking alone. He was not.

In fact, a girl was talking into his ear, speaking words of gossip that were beginning to drive him mad.

"And then Lisa-"

"I don't freaking care!" Toshiro yelled, finally at the breaking point. "Why do you keep hanging around me?"

"Because you're the only one who can see or hear me. Who else can I talk to?"

The girl, Makoto, had been one of Toshiro's classmates until her death in a car accident two months earlier. Unfortunately, her love for spying on others and telling stories about everything she saw had not died with her.

Toshiro pulled some of his hair in frustration as Makoto continued to recount a conversation she had heard in the girl's bathroom.

For as long as he could remember, Toshiro had been able to see ghosts, those beings who had chains sticking out of their chests who had not yet passed on. It was not an ability he was fond of showing off. People thought of him as freaky enough as it is.

Each year his teachers insisted that he stop bleaching his hair so white, not realizing that it was just his natural hair color. And for some reason, the other children always seemed afraid of him.

There was no reason for anyone to fear him. Toshiro was short even for his age and had skipped two years of school, making him a midget compared to his classmates.

Toshiro was halfway home when Makoto finally stopped talking.

"Oh, thank god." Toshiro said, hoping to savor at least a few minutes of silence.

**Boom!**

A building in front of Toshiro collapsed in a heap, as if a cannonball had hit it. All around, people began to scream and panic, but none more so than Makoto.

She screamed in such terror because she could see the cause of the destruction, a green, bug-like monster, two stories tall and wearing a strange, white mask.

"Such spirit energy." it breathed. "Let me taste you..."

Toshiro was frozen in place. He could see the beast as well as Makoto could, and was almost as frightened. "That... thing... can...talk...?"

As the monster bared down on the frozen youngsters, a figure in black appeared between it and its prey. The newcomer was a teenage girl with black hair and a long katana. Without a word, she stabbed the monster through its mask. The creature dissipated in front of their eyes.

"You're late!" Toshiro's father, Ishin Hitsugaya yelled when Toshiro had finally made it home.

"Sorry." Toshiro muttered, looking down.

"'Sorry?' Is that all you have to say for yourself?" Ishin pointed to the table in the kitchen. "You made your sisters sick with worry!"

Toshiro looked up at the table. Sure enough, the nine year old twins Karin and Yuzu looked like they were about to have an anxiety attack.

"Um," Yuzu said, "dinners getting cold, Toshiro. I can heat it up again if you want."

Toshiro started to head upstairs. "No. That's all right. I'm not hungry."

"Hold it!" Ishin yelled. "Are you going to bother to explain why you're so late tonight? It's not like you."

Toshiro spun around. "A building almost fell on me, okay?"

Ishin and the twins stared open mouthed. "What?"

Toshiro turned around again to go to his room. "Turn on the TV. It's gotta be on the news."

A half hour later, Ishin knocked on Toshiro's door.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." Toshiro said, rolling over in bed so that he faced the other way.

Ishin put on his best daddy smile. "We did check the news. You had a really tough day."

"You could say that."

"Do you feel up for school tomorrow?"

"I'll see in the morning."

"Okay. Get a good night's sleep." Ishin turned to leave.

Toshiro rolled over again. "Dad?"

"Yes?" Ishin asked, stopping at the door.

"Tell Karin and Yuzu I'm sorry for worrying them. That's the last thing I wanted to do."

"Of course. Pleasant dreams."

Toshiro stood in the middle of a dark, frozen plain. A loud voice thundered from the distance, bringing with it a great wind. Toshiro held his arms in front of his face to shield his eyes.

"I can't hear you? What are you saying?"

The voice thundered louder and the wind increased in intensity. The gust knocked Toshiro over.

"No!"

Toshiro sat up, covered in sweat.

'I thought those dreams had stopped. Why would they start again now?'

Toshiro looked out of his window. For just an instant, he thought he saw a dark outline of a figure running across a nearby roof, sword in hand.

He rubbed his forehead. 'Monsters, girls in black with magic swords. Wasn't seeing dead people enough?'

_One week later_

Toshiro blinked as the bell rang to signal the end of the class. He had taken in almost none of the lesson. Hastily, he gathered his things to leave.

"Would you please stay behind for a few minutes, Toshiro?" the teacher asked.

After the other students had left, Toshiro went up to the teacher's desk.

"What's been happening with you these last few days, Toshiro?" she asked. "You've been dozing off in class a great deal lately."

"I'm not sleeping well."

"Not sleeping well?"

"Since the accident last week I've had this same nightmare every night."

"Hmmm. I understand. You should speak to your father about going to therapy is this lasts too much longer. I'd hate for one of my top students to start failing over something that's not his fault."

Again, Toshiro shot up as he fell in the icy plain.

"What...is...that...voice?" he breathed.

Toshiro again looked out the window. Over the previous week he had not seen any monsters or people in black, and that night the moon was full and very beautiful.

But it was overshadowed by a sudden blackness. Toshiro gaped as a figure passed through his window, over his bed, and landed on his floor without making a sound.

"Who-what are you?" Toshiro stammered. "Are you a burglar?" He almost froze when the figure's hand grasped the hilt of a sword sheathed at her side.

'It's the same girl from last week!' he realized.

The girl did not seem to hear him. She closed her eyes in concentration. "Yes. That power is close."

Toshiro growled in frustration as he leapt out of his bed and shoved the girl to the floor. "I asked who you are, burglar!"

The girl moaned then looked up at Toshiro.

"You _pushed _me."

"You broke into my room!"

"You can see me?"

The stupidity the girl showed was beginning to get to Toshiro.

"Of course I can see you! You're solid!"

The girl rose, dusting off her kimono. "Humans aren't supposed to be able to see us."

Toshiro's eyes narrowed. "You're not...human?"

She turned to him, smirking slightly. "No. I'm a Shinigami, a god of death."

Toshiro frowned as he listened to the girl's explanation of what Shinigami were: beings from a place called Soul Society whose mission it was to shepherd lost souls there and cleanse corrupted ones called hollows.

Her explanation was not helped by the pictures she drew to accompany them, pictures in which all characters were modeled after Chappy the Bunny.

"And why would you be willing to tell a human child all of this?" he asked incredulously. "You don't go around just telling 'humans' this stuff."

"That is true. I was unprepared for finding a human that could see me."

Toshiro looked at the nearest drawing of a happy Chappy character. "You _really_ expect me to take you seriously as a god of death?"

The girl glared at him. "You want proof, little boy? Here." She raised a finger.

"Bakudo Number 1! Sai!"

Toshiro's arms moved of their own accord and came together behind his back. He fell forward, hitting his chin very hard. He groaned as he rose, trying to pull his arms apart.

"Don't bother resisting." the Shinigami said with an air of triumph. "No human can break a bakudo spell. You only risk injuring yourself."

"Why you-" Toshiro growled, but the Shinigami raised a hand to cut him off.

"I've wasted too much time with you. I've got to get back to tracking that hollow I was after." She turned around. "Something's interfering with my senses tonight. That's why I came here-"

She spun around again as they heard a loud crash from downstairs.

"What's that?" Toshiro yelled. "What's happening to my house?"

The Shinigami ignored him. "Looks like I found my hollow." She raced out of the room. 'But's reiatsu is so strong; how did I not sense it before?'

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, facing the front door-or rather, the street through a giant hole in the wall where the front door should have been.

'The hollow was attracted to this house just like I was.' she realized. 'But why?'

A series of crashes behind the Shinigami caused her to reflexively move to the side, making room for Toshiro to painfully finish his roll down the stairs. His arms were still bound by her spell.

"Stay back." the Shinigami warned.

"What...is that thing?" Toshiro asked, finally getting a look at what was causing the destruction of his house.

In the street stood another monster, not as large as the one from a week earlier, but still a good sixteen feet tall. It hunched over like a thin frog and had a fish shaped mask covering its face.

"It's the hollow I was talking about." the Shinigami said.

They looked up as they heard a scream from the direction of the hollow. It was holding a young girl in one of its clawed hands.

"Karin!" Toshiro screamed, struggling harder against the binding spell.

'The girl must've come downstairs for a late night snack.' the Shinigami thought. 'I've got to kill it before it eats her!'

She began to draw her blade, but a small disturbance of spirit energy to her right distracted her. She turned her head to see Toshiro, his face red as he put all of his strength into freeing his arms.

"Stop that! At this rate you're going to kill yourself!"

But Toshiro did not stop. He screamed louder, and the air around him began to glow.

'Impossible! No human can break a kido spell!'

The Shinigami was proven wrong as, with a final yell and an impossibly loud sound of cords snapping, Toshiro's arms burst from their restraints, freeing him completely from the spell.

Though her attention should have been completely on the hollow, the Shinigami just stared at Toshiro, stunned.

'How can a human have that much spirit energy? He's what was clouding my senses. He must be!'

"Stop!" she yelled as Toshiro rushed at the hollow. It swatted him away like a fly. He bounced along the street, somehow avoiding serious injury.

"I found you." the hollow said through its mask. "The great source of spirit energy. You'll be a much tastier morsel than this little girl."

Toshiro screamed again as it dropped Karin, but the Shinigami appeared out of thin air to catch the unconscious child.

Toshiro's relief was short lived, as the hollow lunged at him mouth first, attempting to eat him.

Toshiro covered his eyes, believing death to be imminent. He felt the hollow's breath, heard a terrible crunch-

-but felt the exact same amount of pain as before.

Toshiro lowered his arms. The Shinigami stood in front of him, having blocked the hollow's attack with her own body. Her sword had cut part of its mouth, but many of its teeth had torn deeply into her flesh.

The hollow, surprised by the sudden wound, pulled away as the Shinigami collapsed to the ground, bleeding terribly. She struggled to rise, but could barely manage sitting up. She gave Toshiro a grave look.

"I'm too injured to fight anymore. I'm afraid it's up to you, boy."

"What can I do?" Toshiro asked frantically.

"I can give you part of my powers. That should be enough to allow you to defeat the hollow." She held out her sword.

Toshiro stood up, matching her seriousness. "What do you want me to do?"

"Stab yourself with my sword."

"What happens then?"

The hollow roared, and the Shinigami winced in pain from looking at it too quickly.

"You'll either get my powers or you'll die!"

_"Die?"_ Toshiro started, backing away a little bit. The hollow roared again

"Hurry and make your choice!" the Shinigami yelled. "It's coming! Do you want to save your family or not!"

Toshiro looked at Karin lying on the ground. "All right, Shinigami."

The hollow began to lunge at Toshiro again.

The Shinigami smiled. "My name is not Shinigami; it is Rukia Kuchiki."

Toshiro gripped her sword. "Toshiro Hitsugaya."

He plunged the blade into his chest just before the hollow reached him.

The street was bathed in a blinding white light. When it faded, one of the hollow's hands had been severed completely.

Rukia Kuchiki, now wearing a white kimono instead of a black one, looked at her hands in shock.

'I only meant to give him half of my power, but somehow he took it all!'

She looked at Toshiro, who now wore a black kimono just like hers. His head was bowed down and his right arm was outstretched, gripping the hilt of a sword.

'That Zanpakuto is huge!' Rukia thought. 'It's longer than he is tall!'

The sword was different from Rukia's in more ways than just its length. It had a distinctive four pointed guard and a blue handle.

"I'm going to kill you for threatening my family." Toshiro hissed, his head still lowered.

He leapt into the air and brought his sword down onto the hollow's head. It screamed as he split its skull open. At first blood gushed everywhere, but within seconds the hollow and its blood began to evaporate into nothingness.

Rukia continued to stare in awe.

'Whatever you are, Toshiro Hitsugaya, you are no ordinary human.'


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Six for my first chapter is surprising and encouraging. _

_I definitely understand that certain readers have concerns that this might end up being a story with a smaller, white haired version of Ichigo, especially with regards to the family. I kept the setup, a father and two daughters, because I wanted to do more with the Grand Fisher story arc, though in hindsight it might not be as necessary as I had originally thought. Even then, I didn't have Ishin attacking Toshiro like in the original or acting silly in front of his daughters or fawning over a giant picture of his dead wife, so even with the setup being similar it doesn't mean the personalities are. There are a number of other differences in the first chapter, one of which I see people have already picked up on. I hope I'm able to provide enough differences from the original to keep the story fresh and interesting._

* * *

"Toshiro!"

Toshiro groaned into his pillow. "Damn it, dad. Need more sleep."

"Toshiro! Get up! Look what happened outside!"

"Out...side?"

Toshiro's head shot up as memories from the previous night flooded into him.

'No. Please let have all been a dream!'

But when he got downstairs the hole in the front of the house was still there. His sisters and father were standing in the front yard, inspecting the damage to the house.

"Look at this! A truck hit the house last night? It's a miracle none of us were hurt!" he said angrily.

"More like a miracle none of us woke up." Karin said dryly. "So the driver got away scott free."

'She doesn't remember almost being eaten?' Toshiro wondered. 'Could I have really just imagined it? I've been having strange dreams lately.'

* * *

Two girls, one with short, black hair, the other with long, orange hair, left their second period class together.

"Did you remember to bring a lunch, Orihime?" the one with the short hair asked.

"Uh huh." Orihime answered cheerfully. "I made it special! Fish shaped sweet bean bread and ramen with wasabi and honey! Do you want some, Tatsuki?"

Tatsuki cringed at the thought of Orihime's cooking before regaining her smile. "I'll pass today."

"But it's delici-ohh!"

Orihime walked into someone and was knocked to the ground in mid-sentence. "Owww."

Toshiro blinked. "Oh. It's you, Orihime."

Tatsuki was in his face. "That's all you've got to say! You're the one who knocked her down, you little sleazebag! Maybe if you picked your head up once in a while instead of staring at your toes all the time you'd be able to see where you're going!"

"Um, yeah." Toshiro stuttered. "Sorry about that. I've got a lot on my mind right now. Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Orihime said.

Toshiro bent down and offered his hand to Orihime. "Here."

Orihime did not take Toshiro's hand. She stared at it as if in wonder for several seconds before jumping to her feet. "No thank you! I'm just fine, really!" She began babbling indecipherably as Toshiro and Tatsuki stared at her nonplussed before turning around ad running in the other direction.

"What's with her?" Toshiro asked.

"You've got white hair and a permanent scowl. It scares people off."

Toshiro turned to head to class himself. "Tell me something I _don't _know."

'But,' Tatsuki thought as she watched him go, 'how did a midget like him knock down someone so much bigger than he is?'

* * *

Toshiro was still lost in thought over the previous night, even as he entered the third period classroom.

'Even if it wasn't a dream, I shouldn't have to worry about it. I haven't seen monsters like that before, so they can't be all that common. That girl probably just went back to that soul place she was talking about.'

"Hey, Toshiro." A deep voice said.

"Hey, Chad." Toshiro answered the giant of a teenager.

"Keigo said a truck hit your house last night. Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Thank god no one was hurt."

"Yes." Chad said. "That is good. Do you need any help cleaning up?"

"No. We're getting professionals to do that. Our house is a clinic too, so the insurance covers it."

"So everything's worked out, Toshiro?"

Toshiro's eyes widened at the high pitched voice behind him. He slowly turned around.

"Hello." A short, black haired girl in a school uniform who looked far too familiar said. "I'm Rukia Kuchiki. It's a pleasure to meet the top student in the class."

Toshiro raised a trembling finger. "Y-you!"

"Her family just moved to Karakura town this week." Chad said. "It's an odd time, but she had no choice but to transfer here."

Rukia held her hand out to Toshiro. He looked at it and had to struggle not to scream in terror.

Written in ink on her palm was the sentence _'Make a scene and you're dead.'_

"Um," Toshiro stuttered, trying to find something to say, "I'm actually tied for top."

Rukia giggled. "So modest!"

Toshiro shuddered. 'God, that high pitched voice she's using is creepy.'

* * *

After school ended Toshiro was not surprised to see Rukia waiting for him outside.

"What are you doing here? I thought you went back to where you came from?"

"Idiot." Rukia said, using the deeper voice she had the previous night. "Only Shinigami can go to the Soul Society, and right now _you _have my powers."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "So you want them back? Fine. I don't know how to use them anyway. I thought they were gone after last night."

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. Eventually my powers will return," she said seriously, "but until then _you're _the only Shinigami in this area."

Toshiro grimaced. "I'm not going to like where this is going, am I?"

"You're going to have to take over my duties and destroy the hollows that appear in Karakura town."

"No."

"What?" Rukia asked with venom in her voice.

"No _way _am I fighting monsters like that again! Once is quite enough for a lifetime!"

"That's absurd! Last night you fought magnificently!"

"Last night my family was being attacked! I had no choice!" Toshiro walked past her. "Sorry, but I can't help you."

"We'll see." Rukia whispered, pulling a red glove embroidered with a white skull out of her pocket and putting it on her hand. She leapt at Toshiro, pushing the back of his head.

Toshiro fell down, and something heavy fell on top of him.

"Ugh. What is this thing?" Toshiro rolled over to push the object off of him.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaarg!" Toshiro screamed. Rukia pulled the small, white haired body off of him.

"Don't act so shocked. It's just an out of body experience."

"M-m-me-my b-body."

"You can't fight hollows in a human body, Toshiro. I thought you knew that by now."

Toshiro looked at the version of himself that was standing. It, or he-he was not sure-was wearing the black kimono he had worn when he had killed the hollow in front of his house.

"Come on, _Shinigami."_ Rukia said, pulling Toshiro along with her by the arm.

* * *

"Where are we going?"

Rukia took out a cell phone and looked at it. "We're close now."

"Close to _what?"_

"Here."

They stopped at the entrance to a small park.

"What's so special about this park?"

"I received orders about a hollow appearing near here."

"A hollow!" Toshiro began to back away. "I told you, I'm not doing that!"

"Heeeellllllp!"

Toshiro and Rukia turned towards the source of the scream. A young boy with a chain attached to his chest was from running away from a cloud of dust that had erupted in the park.

Out of the dust came the hollow. This one was also monstrous in size and had the body of a scorpion.

Toshiro leapt over the fence at the edge of the park, bringing his hand to the hilt of his sword.

"Stop!"

Toshiro looked behind him.

"What do you mean, 'stop?' That kid's going to be eaten!"

"He's a complete stranger, not part of your family."

"That doesn't mean I can't do anything when he's being attacked right in front of me!"

"Don't be selfish!" Rukia yelled.

"What?" Toshiro asked, taken aback.

"Shinigami must treat all souls equally." She said seriously. "Wanting to save only those you see in front of you, this line of work is not that convenient."

Toshiro turned back to the boy and the hollow.

"Don't save him!"

"You…" Toshiro growled.

"If you want to save that child now, be prepared to save all other spirits in the future. Be prepared to chase hollows wherever they may be, and even to sacrifice yourself to destroy them!"

Toshiro lowered his head, his hands shaking.

"Now choose, Toshiro!"

Toshiro screamed leaping at the hollow and slicing its head open with an overhead slash.

The boy began to back away, his terror transferred to Toshiro.

"Don't be so afraid, kid." Toshiro said. "I don't bite like those things."

"Hey, Rukia!"

"What is it?" Rukia asked, joining him.

"How do I send this kid to the Soul Society?"

"Touch the bottom of the handle of your Zanpakuto to his forehead. That will initiate the konso."

"Right." Toshiro bent down, and the boy reflexively pulled away. "Look, kid, do you want to be attacked by monsters again or not?"

The boy shook his head.

"Then let me help you. I can send you to a place where there are no monsters. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded. "I think so."

Toshiro placed the handle of his sword on the boy's forehead, and the boy began to glow. Toshiro sighed as the body disappeared completely.

"So," Rukia asked when they were alone, "are you prepared?"

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no?'" Rukia spat, aghast. Toshiro glared at her.

"Maybe it is selfish of me to only save those people I see in trouble, but you're 'choice' is just sadistic! I'm not going to be bullied into being a superhero! I'm only eleven years old, for crying out loud!"

Rukia looked down. "That is true. You are far younger than any Shinigami alive. Perhaps I was too forceful. But the hollows are still out there, and still need to be destroyed."

Toshiro began to walk away. "That's not my problem. I'm gonna get my body and go home."

* * *

Across town, a ghost watched over his little sister, smiling as she answered the questions on her history assignment correctly. He turned to leave as she shut the lights off to go to bed.

He had been so afraid of how she would cope without him

_"Please don't leave me! Please!"_

But she was doing well, and had made friends since his death.

Outside, he sang to himself a sing he had loved while he was alive.

"Come stop your crying, it will be all right. Just take my hand, hold it ti-iiigh!"*

Two monsters had appeared behind him and grabbed him with their tentacles. He screamed and struggled as they reeled him in closer.

"Wait." A deep voice behind them said.

The two monsters turned around. "What is it, boss?"

"I believe it would be better if _I_ eat this one."

The two monsters let the ghost go, and when he saw what stood behind them, he could do nothing but scream.

"Noooooooooooooo!"

* * *

Rukia continued to follow Toshiro after school the next day.

"You're gonna keep hounding me until I say 'yes;' is that it?" he asked.

"You bet."

"Figures."

They continued walking in an awkward silence. "Hey, Rukia, I didn't think about this yesterday because I was in so much shock, what with being pulled out of my body and all, but how come all of my classmates and teachers can see you? I thought you Shinigami were supposed to be invisible to most people."

"We are. I'm in a gigai right now."

"A gigai?"

"It's a faux body that weakened Shinigami enter until their strength replenishes."

**Thud!**

"What was that noise?" Rukia asked cautiously.

"That sounded like someone got hit by a car!" Toshiro said, running to the end of the block. An orange haired girl was lying in the middle of the road.

"Orihime!" Toshiro yelled.

"Owwww." The girl said, starting to get up.

"Orihime, what happened?"

"Oh," Orihime said, "it's you, Toshiro."

"Did you just get hit?"

Orihime thought for a second. "Um, yeah. Probably."

"Probably?" Toshiro asked incredously. "Did you hit your head?"

"Oh, no! I'm fine, really!"

"Are those tire tracks?"

Toshiro and Orihime looked at the place Rukia was analyzing with an intense expression. A pattern of dark bruises had formed on Orihime's left leg.

"Oh. I guess."

"Why don't you come over to my place and get that checked out at the clinic?" Toshiro suggested. "That looks serious."

Orihime put her hands up. "No! It's not, really! I'm all right! Really, I am!" She turned and ran off.

"She seemed scared of your family's clinic." Rukia observed.

"More like scared of walking with me." Toshiro corrected. "Half the grade's scared stiff of me."

"Why?"

Toshiro shrugged. "Who knows? I guess it's cause I seem cold and have funny hair."

"That's not an explanation for fear."

"Is there an explanation for fear?"

Rukia hesitated before answering. "Sometimes."

Toshiro resumed his walk home.

"So you don't have any friends at school?" Rukia asked.

Toshiro stopped and thought. "Not really. There's Chad, but I wouldn't call him a friend really."

"What makes Chad different?"

"He isn't afraid of me or resentful. Since he came last year I haven't been beaten up like I used to be."

"You were beaten?"

"Yeah." Toshiro looked at his toes. "It was pretty bad, too. I took karate to try to defend myself, but one undersized ten year old against several twelve and thirteen year olds-I never stood a chance. But the first time Chad saw me being attacked he put his foot down about bullying, and people basically stopped because they were even more afraid of Chad than of me, and he can defend himself."

"So why didn't the two of you become friends?"

Toshiro narrowed his eyes. "I don't know. We just didn't."

* * *

That night, Orihime answered the doorbell to find Tatsuki bearing her mother's beef stew.

"Yum!" Orihime exclaimed.

"My mother and I worry about what you eat here all by yourself."

"I eat plenty!"

"It's what you eat plenty of that worries us."

* * *

Toshiro sat on his bed, flipping through his literature textbook.

"Go out looking for those things. Who does she think I am?"

Beep…beep…beep…

"Huh? Is that a cell phone?"

"Toshiro!"

"Whaaaaa!"

Rukia had opened Toshiro's closet, from the _inside._ She was dressed in a set of yellow pajamas.

"What the hell are you doing here!" he yelled.

"No time! There's a hollow coming this way!"

"A hollow!"

Rukia put on red her glove and pushed Toshiro out of his body just in time. A gigantic hand appeared out of the wall and attempted to grab him.

Toshiro drew his sword as the body of the hollow followed the hand. It had a humanoid head and torso, but its lower half was serpentine.

"Aim for the head!" Rukia yelled.

Toshiro screamed as he leapt and swung his blade down. The hollow caught the sword before it could slice open the beast's head, but not before it impacted the hollow's white mask.

"It's stronger than the last two!" Rukia yelled.

Toshiro and the hollow stared each other down, each gripping an end of the sword. "It's not its strength that stopped my swing. My sword is caught in its mask."

"What?" Rukia asked. Toshiro growled and attempted to press down harder. Cracks began to appear in the mask, until a portion around the left eye broke off completely.

"That's-" Toshiro began, finding himself looking into a human eye.

The hollow began to roar in agony, and its tail swung up and struck Toshiro in the side. The impact sent him flying into the wall.

"Toshiro!" Rukia yelled as the hollow disappeared into the ceiling.

Toshiro gripped the chair near his study desk to pull himself up.

"I'm alright." he said, breathing heavily. "But…but…"

"But what?"

"Is that thing…a person?"

* * *

"So hollows are fallen humans?" Toshiro asked as he ran across the rooftops carrying Rukia on his back.

"Yes. When we met two nights ago I described the job of a Shinigami as cleansing the hollows. The Zanpakuto frees the spirit from the corrupting influence and sends it to the Soul Society. They are not destroyed."

"That's a relief. I couldn't fight them at all if I thought I was killing people."

"Shinigami don't worry about that."

"Speaking of things Shinigami don't worry about…"

"What do you want to know now?"

"When I got thrown into the wall, I should have broken half the bones in my body, and there's no way I should be able to carry both you and that sword like this at the same time. How much has my body changed from being a Shinigami?"

"The physical strength of a Shinigami and his ability to absorb punishment is proportional to his reiatsu, and yours is a high one."

"And why," Toshiro asked through gritted teeth, "did another hollow just attack my house?"

"I told you; hollows are attracted to large reiatsus. Most of the ones in karakura town are probably going to come after you at some point."

_"What!"_

"We're close now!"

Toshiro stopped. "So where's the hollow?"

Rukia looked at her cell phone. "It's going to materialize in one of these houses."

"But why? There can't be anyone around here with spirit energy like the two of us."

Rukia gave him a grave look. "The other kind of person hollows are attracted to, are people they were close with when they were alive."

* * *

"What?" Tatsuki exclaimed. "You got hit by a car and refused to go to the clinic just be looked at?"

"I was fine." Orihime insisted. "Do I look hurt to you?"

"No." Tatsuki admitted, "but that doesn't make it smart."

"I guess not. Hey, Tatsuki, you'll never guess who was walking home with Toshiro today."

"Who?"

"The new girl, Rukia."

"Really? The biggest loner in the grade is already hanging out with the new transfer student? Interesting?" Tatsuki rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"What is it?"

"Probably nothing. Do you have any idea what they were doi-"

**Crash!**

"What was that?" Tatsuki asked.

"I don't know." Orihime looked around.

**Crash!**

"There it is again!"

Tatsuki's eyes darted from right to left. "There's something in her wi-arggg!" She flew into the nearby wall as if struck by a cannonball.

"Tatsuki!" Orihime yelled.

Thunk

Orihime looked down at her torso. It was pierced by a gigantic claw.

She fell.

"Orihime…."

Orihime was caught by a large hand and lifted into the air. She could now see the monster that was attacking her.

"What-what are you?"

"You don't recognize me!" the monster screamed, throwing her to the floor.

"Owww." She moaned before looking up in terror. The monster was raising its hand to strike her again.

"I'm sad, Orihime."

"Sad?" she wondered out loud.

"You make me sad!" It brought its hand down upon her again, and Orihime shut her eyes.

All she felt was a gust of wind.

'Wha-what happened?' she thought, opening her eyes.

A white haired boy in a black kimono had blocked the monster's attack with a large katana.

"Back off." The boy said, pushing the monster back. He and the hollow stared each other down again.

"Toshiro?" Orihime asked.

Toshiro's eyes widened, and slowly he turned around. "You can see-" His eyes widened even further.

Coming out of the center of Orihime's chest was a metal chain. Toshiro's eyes followed it to-

"Oh, God, no."

-Orihime's body.

"Is that me?" she asked, also just noticing the other her lying on the floor.

"Damn it!" Toshiro yelled.

"That's right." The hollow said triumphantly. "_Orihime is already dead!"_

"Noooo!" Toshiro screamed, charging at the hollow. It clenched its hand into a fist and smashed it over his head, dropping him to the floor.

"Toshiro!" Rukia screamed. She was bent over Tatsuki, examining her wounds.

Toshiro rose to all fours and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm still okay."

"Don't be so reckless! You need a strategy to deal with this one!"

"I'm beginning to realize that."

'I thought that mark on her leg earlier was from a hollow.' Rukia thought.

The hollow passed over Toshiro to confront Orihime again.

"You forgot about me, Orihime. You used to pray for me every day, but now you've stopped completely. That makes me sad."

Yo-you are…" Orihime stammered.

Toshiro struggled to rise, and as soon as he reached his feet his body fell sideways again. He smashed into a cabinet, knocking many of Orihime's most treasured possessions off of it.

"Ugh. I'm too groggy from that last hit…" he muttered, putting his hand on the floor to push himself back up again.

His hand found a picture frame, which he turned over.

"This is-"

"I gave everything to you, Orihime." The hollow said. "And how did you repay me?"

"Is this you?"

The hollow, Orihime, and Rukia turned to Toshiro, who was holding up a photograph of a handsome young man with long, brown hair.

"Put that away!" the hollow yelled.

"Brother," Orihime breathed, "it _is _you."

The hollow roared and lunged at Toshiro, but he slid under its grasp.

"Go away! Orihime is _mine!"_

"What the hell's wrong with you!" Toshiro yelled. "What kind of brother tries to kill his own sister!"

"Shut up!" the hollow screamed, almost hysterical. "You don't know what it's like! The loneliness, the pain! Orihime is all I have!"

Toshiro tried to raise his sword, but found his hand shaking. The hollow took advantage of his lack of composure, swinging its tail around again and launching Toshiro out of the window.

Toshiro landed headfirst on the paved street. The hollow made to lunge out of the window at him, but Orihime got in his way.

"Stop this!" she commanded.

The hollow hissed. "You side with this brat over your own brother? I've watched over you for years, Orihime. I've seen how much he terrifies you. I'm going to remove the source of your fear."

"I won't let you." she said firmly.

"What!" the hollow bellowed, grabbing Orihime and squeezing her. "Are more afraid of me than of him now!"

A sword sliced through the hollow's hand at the wrist. It writhed in pain and backed off as Orihime dropped to the floor.

"Of course she is." Toshiro said. His breathing was heavy and he was bleeding profusely from the forehead. "You're trying to kill her while I'm fighting to protect her. That's all that matters right now."

"How _dare_ you." The hollow hissed. Toshiro raised his sword over his head.

"Goodbye, hollow."

_"You don't know what it's like! The loneliness, the pain!"_

The hollow lunged at Toshiro, mouth open so as to swallow him whole.

"Stop!"

Orihime had interposed himself between her brother and Toshiro. One of the hollow's teeth dug into her shoulder.

"Ori….hime." it whispered in surprise.

"Please stop this." She pleaded, beginning to cry.

'I thought of it as human again,' Toshiro thought, 'so I hesitated. Now Orihime's paid the same price Rukia paid three nights ago-to protect me!'

"This is all my fault." Orihime said through her tears. "When you were dying, I couldn't take it. I begged you not to go, and for that reason you didn't pass on. And now you're this-this thing. I'm so sorry.

"But please-please stop hurting Tatsuki and Toshiro, It's my fault, so just punish me."

"Orihime…" the hollow said. Toshiro readied his sword again.

The hollow began to scream and writhe in agony. "Brother!" Orihime exclaimed.

"What's happening?" Toshiro yelled at Rukia, who was holding glowing hands over Tatsuki.

"The man he was is starting to fight the hollow within!" Rukia said. "He must have only transformed recently!"

The hollow gave one final, ear-splitting scream, and its mask shattered.

"B-brother? Sora?" Orihime asked. The handsome face from the picture was restored, though a great deal larger and sadder.

"Yes." he said. He then looked at Toshiro. "Boy, kill me now, before I turn back into that monster."

"No!" Orihime screamed.

"Listen to me!" he yelled. "I can't maintain control for long! This is the only way to keep me from hurting you again! I'd rather die than do that!

"I'm waiting." He said to Toshiro, whose eyes were fixed on his toes and whose sword was shaking again.

"I can't." Toshiro said.

"Toshiro!" Rukia warned. "Listen to him! He's taking sense!"

"I can't kill him while he's a person! I-I know it's a cleansing, that he'll go to a better place, but I just can't do it!"

Rukia sighed. 'Too young.'

"Then give me the sword." Orihime's brother said. "I'll do it."

"Is there no other way?" Orimihe pleaded again.

'I'm afraid not." Her brother said with a sad smile.

Toshiro took a deep breath and dropped his sword. It hit the floor with a clanging sound. Sora picked it up and held it to his neck.

"The head is the vulnerable part." Rukia said.

Sora smiled. "Thanks." He turned to Orihime one last time.

"At the very least, Orihime, I'm glad I was able to say goodbye this time."

"I am too." she answered, wiping her eyes.

"Live life to its fullest, Orihime."

"Can you hold on, for just a minute, Sora?"

"What is it?"

Orihime pointed to the side of her head. "I still wear the hair pieces you got me, just before you died. I said I hated them at the time, because I thought they were childish, but I-I really do like them now! I wear them all the time!

"I guess, I'm trying to say, 'thank you."

Sora leaned close to her.

"Thank you, Orihime. I can pass on in peace now, thanks to you."

Orihime, Toshiro, and Rukia closed their eyes as Sora stabbed himself with Toshiro's sword.

The battle over, Toshiro collapsed against the wall. Orihime said a short prayer to herself for her brother's soul, then addressed Rukia.

"Oh yeah. How's Tatsuki."

"She's fine, now. I've spent this whole time healing her."

"Thank goodness." She then turned to Toshiro. "Thank you, for everything tonight."

Toshiro gave a small nod, then looked at Rukia. "What about Orihime? He said she was already dead."

Rukia walked over to both Orihimes, inspecting the chain connecting them.

"Her chain of fate isn't broken off from her body. She can still return to it."

Toshiro sighed in relief. "Then there's only one problem. The cat's out of the bag."

* * *

"I'm serious!" Orihime exclaimed. "A ninja broke into my house last night!"

"You always have the weirdest stories, Orihime."

"Why doesn't anyone believe me!"

Across the school lunchroom, Toshiro and Rukia sat alone.

"That memory trick, you did the same thing to my sister." Toshiro said.

"Yes."

"It seems kind of cruel, though, to make Orihime forget being able to make peace with her brother's spirit."

"Maybe, but we couldn't have her remembering us."

"I guess, but I still don't like it."

Toshiro finished his chocolate milk and wiped his mouth.

"That's pretty impressive, how you healed all of our wounds."

Rukia smirked. "I was top in my class in kido spells."

"Kido….The same thing you used to bind me the other day." Toshiro rose and walked towards the nearest window.

"If I'm going to take part in this Shinigami business, I'd better learn how to use that kido stuff."

Rukia's eyes narrowed. "You mean you're ready."

Toshiro spun around. "Hell no!" He looked at his toes.

"I've fought three hollows in the last three days. They're much more common than I imagined, and you say they'll be targeting me and those close to me because of my higher spirit power." He met her gaze with a piercing one of his own.

"As much as I hate the idea, I can't afford to not take this business seriously."

Rukia smiled and pulled out her cell phone.

"I'm glad to hear it, because I've just received orders."

* * *

*_You'll Be in My Heart by Phil Collins_


	3. Chapter 3

"No! Keep away!"

The old man ran for his afterlife, trailed by a twelve foot long monster. He turned a corner into a narrow alleyway, hoping the creature's size would prevent it from moving quickly.

He stopped running as he found the alley to be a dead end.

"Figures." He muttered. "Could never catch a break while I was alive. Why start now that I'm dead?"

He turned around. The monster was already bearing down on him. He winced as it attacked.

To his shock, the monster split in two from the head down. The pieces began to dissipate even as they hit the ground.

"Hmph. Maybe today's my lucky day after all."

* * *

"How'd it go?" Rukia asked at lunch.

"Fine." Toshiro answered. "One small hollow and a konso. Anyone notice I was gone?"

"No."

"Good." Toshiro sat down.

"Toshiro…" Rukia said awkwardly.

"What is it?"

"How do you drink this?" she asked, holding up a juice carton.

Toshiro gaped at her. "Are you serious?"

"I'm still getting used to human customs."

"Wow. Do you see the straw?"

"What's a straw?"

It took all of Toshiro's self control not to face-palm. "It's the tube thing attached to the side. Poke the opening with it."

"Oh! I was wondering what that was for?" Rukia frowned. "Now where do I poke it?"

"Just give it to me." Toshiro said exasperatedly.

"Oh, thank you!" She took a sip. "This is good!"

Rukia put down the box when she was done drinking. "I'm impressed. Humans make even their food products require a degree of coordination and thought to use."

Toshiro shook his head, unable to keep himself from smiling. "I never thought of it that way."

* * *

"Before a Shinigami can learn kido," Rukia said as she circled Toshiro, whose eyes were closed in concentration, "he must first master his reiatsu.

"Complete control. No unconscious leaking of spirit power, no sudden bout of fatigue from using too much, too quickly."

Toshiro grimaced from the effort. As Rukia continued to walk around him a circle of white, flowing paper threads surrounded him.

"Good. Control your reiatsu, and you will be able to manipulate it in ways you cannot yet imagine. And more importantly, you will no longer radiate any for a hollow to pick up on and target."

Toshiro, his eyes still closed, raised one hand and gripped one of the threads.

"You found your spirit thread. Unlike those of human souls, the threads of Shinigami are red instead of white."

Toshiro took a deep breath and let go of the thread. He opened his eyes and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"This is going to be more difficult than I imagined."

* * *

Chad fell on his face. He could not hear the monster behind him speak.

"Stay down this time and let me eat you."

"I don't know what you are," Chad said while rising, "but I won't let you target little kids anymore."

The hollow laughed. "What are you going to do about it? You can't even see-arg!"

Chad punched the air directly above where he had previously been standing, connecting with the hollow's face. It fell backwards.

"All right." Chad said. "That hit. Finally"

"Ugh!" the hollow moaned. "You cracked my mask, you bastard! I-I'll kill you for that!"

The next thing Chad knew, a shadow had appeared in front of him. Within seconds the street had turned quiet.

'What happened?' Chad wondered.

"That silhouette, was that-?"

* * *

'No. Not this dream again.'

Toshiro stood in the icy plain, struggling against the wind. The voice was resounding louder than ever.

"Oh…my…"

Walking toward him was the largest monster he had ever seen, larger than all of the hollows he had fought. More than twenty-five feet tall, with a forty foot wingspan, it was bright blue all over except for its glowing, red eyes.

**Child**

"Wh-what are you? S-some sort of dragon?"

**Do think you are capable of wielding me**

"I don't understand!" Toshiro yelled.

**My name is**

The winds reached a new level in intensity, blowing Toshiro off of his feet and carrying him away.

"Ahhhhhh!"

Toshiro awoke in terror.

'Those dreams stopped after I got those powers from Rukia. Why start up again? And why was this one more intense than any of the others?' He looked at his hands.

'I can't stop shaking.'

"Huh?"

Toshiro glared at his window.

'Was there someone watching me just now?'

* * *

A man in a funny hat sat on a roof several houses away, examining his hand. It was covered in a thin layer of frost.

"So it's begun." He said, pulling the brim of his hat down. "But will he awaken in time?"

* * *

Orihime ran for her life.

"Oh, why is this happening again?"

"Such spirit power!" the monster behind her roared. "You smell so good!"

"If you're hungry," Orihime called back, "I can make you an omelet cake with mushrooms at my place! It's delicious!"

The monster actually stopped as it pictured the meal in its head.

"Ugh! Just thinking about that is disgusting! What's wrong with you, girl?"

"At least I eat food and not people!"

"Well I-"

Orihime stared as the monster began to disapate. It was only for an instant, but she was certain she saw-

"Toshiro?"

* * *

Toshiro knocked on the door of Rukia's closet.

"Hey, Rukia."

"What is it?"

"I just got this DVD. It's called 'The Incredibles.' Do you want to watch it with me?"

"Very well. I'm still trying to learn more about human customs."

They sat on Toshiro's bed as he inserted the DVD into his laptop.

Two hours later, Toshiro and Rukia could barely contain their laughter.

"Oh, I don't think I've laughed so much in my entire life." Rukia said.

"Yeah. That Edna character was genius."

"Are all human movies this funny?" Rukia asked.

"No." Toshiro's expression grew serious.

"What for?" Rukia asked, confused. "You showed me the movie, not the other way around."

"I've never had a friend to watch movies with. It's a different experience from watching them by myself."

Rukia's expression also became serious. "Sure. Um, I'm getting tired. I'm gonna go to bed."

Rukia shut the closet door and lay on her back on the mat she slept on.

"So we're friends now." She said to herself.

* * *

Tatskui wiped the blood from her lip.

"Dammit. If I could only _see_ this thing I could smash it!'

"Them's the breaks, girlie." The hollow said, lifting Tatsuki off the ground. She struggled against its grip, to no avail.

Suddenly the monster dropped her. Tatsuki, not expecting the fall, was unable to brace herself, making the landing hurt far more than it should have.

"Arg!" the hollow screamed. "What's this thing holding me!"

Tatsuki aimed a punch at where she had judged the monster to be, but her hand struck only air.

"Where'd it go?" she wondered, looking around.

Watching from a tree branch above, Rukia smiled.

"Are you proud?" a voice behind her asked. "He cast that bakudo spell perfectly."

Rukia spun around, but there was no one there.

"Urahara." She breathed.

* * *

Toshiro drew a graph at his desk, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Rukia asked.

"Hollows haven't attacked me or my family since I started controlling my reiatsu, but four of my classmates seem to have abnormally high spirit energy as well, and three of thm=em have come under repeated attacks."

"What about the fourth?"

"I don't know." Toshiro said. "It's strange that hollows would ignore someone with as much reiatsu as the other three.

"Orihime, especially, seems like a favorite target."

"Maybe." Rukia said sympathetically. "But you're doing fine. I don't think they'll be in much danger if you keep doing what you're doing."

"That's not the problem."

"Then what is?"

"I'm afraid."

Rukia's eyes narrowed. "Afraid of what?"

"Of someone getting hurt because I messed up."

"Most Shinigami experience that kind of fear once in a while."

"No, I mean, when you and Orihime got hurt trying to protect me, it-it reminded me of Momo."

"Momo?"

"My older sister. About two years ago, I still couldn't tell the difference between living people and ghosts. I was walking with Momo when I saw this girl who looked like she was about to jump into the river. I ran towards her to try to save her, and the next thing I knew, Momo-Momo was dead."

"Toshiro…"

"What are you going to say? Are you going to tell me that it wasn't my fault? Don't bother. I know it was. I can't let something like that happen again."

Rukia nodded, looking away.

'I keep forgetting how young he is. To be so motivated by a misplaced sense of guilt.

'He may be an exceptional child, but he still just a child nonetheless.'

* * *

"Orihime." Chad said, opening his door.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." Orihime went over to Chad's couch.

"What is it?"

"Um, I wanted to talk to you about Toshiro?"

"Toshiro…Hitsugaya?"

Orihime nodded. "Yes. You're the only person he's been on sort-of-friendly terms with, so I thought maybe you'd be the person to talk to."

"Doubtful." Chad said. "He and I were never close."

"But…have you noticed anything strange about him lately?"

"What do you mean?"

"Since Rukia joined our class, a lot of strange things have been happening, and they seem to revolve around Toshiro."

Chad nodded. "I agree."

"And-I've been attacked by these monsters twice in the past month, and I think Toshiro saved me both times."

"I had a similar experience." Chad said thoughtfully. "I couldn't make out the monster, but I could feel it, and I saw an image that looked like Toshiro before the monster disappeared."

"I could see them pretty clearly."

Chad looked away, thinking.

"What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know."

* * *

_"What do you mean, you won't go to Karakura Town!"_

The smaller hollow cowered in fear.

"Didn't you hear? That place is under the protection of a serious Shinigami! It must be a lieutenant or something! Hollows are dropping like flies the-chk!"

The smaller hollow faded away, having been gutted through the head.

"Hmmm. A powerful Shinigami. Sounds tasty. I think it's time a paid another visit to Karakura town myself."

* * *

"Hey, Rukia! Toshiro!"

"What is it, Orihime?" Rukia asked.

"Would you guys like to have lunch with us? You're always eating by yourselves."

"Um," Rukia said, looking at Toshiro, who shrugged, "sure. Why not?"

"Great! You can try out my new recipe! Peanut butter with olives and anchovies cooked with-"

* * *

'Who knew school could be so much fun?' Rukia thought as she lay in her closet.

'Orihime makes good food, even if it is a little…interesting. She's actually pretty nice. All the girls who hang out with her are.'

Beep….beep…beep.

Rukia took out her cell phone, thinking that she was receiving an order about another hollow nearby.

_Good job hunting hollows in District 3600. _The text message read. _The brass is pleased with your performance. You are ordered to return to the Soul Society for debriefing and reassignment._

Rukia grimaced. 'I _still_ don't have my powers back. What am I going to do?'

Toshiro pulled the door of the closet open. "Is there a hollow?"

Rukia tried to smile, but found that she could barely even pretend.

"No. Just my phone telling me I need new batteries."

* * *

"Ah. What brings the illustrious Rukia Kuchiki to my humble shop?"

"Cut the crap, Urahara." Rukia said. "Is the item I ordered in yet?"

"As it is, it just arrived yesterday!" Urahara Kisuke exclaimed happily. "Ururu!"

A little girl, at most twelve years old, appeared behind him. "Yes, manager?"

"Would you be a dear and bring up one of the items in the box downstairs marked 'new goods?'"

"Yes." She said enthusiastically and ran off.

"Is there anything else you need?" Urahara asked.

"Batteries for my phone, and something for my gigai." Rukia said. "This one's beginning to fail."

"Hm. I can provide, but that won't solve the problem." He looked at Rukia sternly. "Your powers still haven't returned, and by now your assignment must be close to its end. You can't hide yourself or him much longer."

"I know that."

"And this item you ordered," Urahara pressed. "Do you plan on having him continue after you've gone?"

Rukia looked away.

"That I don't know."

* * *

"Here." Rukia said between classes, holding up a round, green pill.

"What's this?" Toshiro asked.

"It's an artificial soul. It can allow you to turn into a Shinigami when I'm not around, and it can pretend to be you until you get back, so you don't have to worry about being missed."

"So, I'm basically letting someone else take over my body?"

"For a short time. You'd get it back. Artificial souls don't care about staying in a body for long."

"Can I at least wait until there's a hollow to try it out?"

At that very moment, Rukia's cell phone began to beep.

"Speak of the devil." Toshiro sighed and swallowed the pill.

Toshiro popped out of his body, which fell forwards.

"This is creepy." He said as he watched his body get up on its own.

"Hello." The soul inside Toshiro's body said cheerfully. "I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya, eleven years old."

"Let's go." Rukia said.

"Um, all right. But you, um, me, whatever, don't get me into any trouble, okay?"

The soul saluted. "You got it, boss!"

But as Toshiro ran off after Rukia, he smiled mischievously.

* * *

"I hope that soul we left in my body is all right." Toshiro said as he and Rukia returned.

"Don't worry." Rukia said. "Artificial souls know how to behave themselves."

As they entered the school grounds, they heard a girl's scream.

"You were saying?" Toshiro asked dryly.

* * *

"Why you little-" Tatsuki screamed, lifting a desk.

"What?" the soul in Toshiro's body asked. "It was just a kiss."

Tatsuki roared, throwing the desk at him. He dodged it easily.

"Whoa. That's dangerous."

"You-you _kissed_ her?"

The soul turned to see Toshiro crouching in the window.

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Of course it is! Look at the body you're in!"

"What about it?"

"It's eleven years old!"

"Oh," the soul said. "Right. Yeah, that could be a problem."

"Who's he talking to?" several kids in the classroom asked. Orihime, however could not fail to notice the boy in black enter through the window.

'What's going on?' she wondered. 'Why are there two Toshiros?'

"You've caused enough trouble." Toshiro said, attempting to grab the soul. It turned to the door, to find Rukia already there.

"Give it up." She said. "There's nowhere to go."

The soul looked between them, then hit Toshiro with a roundhouse kick that sent him flying through row after row of school desks.

"Toshiro!" Rukia and Orihime screamed. The rest of the class assumed that they had reacted in terror to his knocking furniture over without touching it rather than the fact that it was _him_ who was kicked through it.

"Ta ta!" the soul said, leaping out of the window.

Toshiro ran to the window to follow, but the soul was running away at an inhuman speed.

"Man," Toshiro said, "he's fast."

'But he shouldn't be.' Rukia thought. 'Unless he's, but he couldn't be.'

* * *

"A mod soul?"

"About a hundred years ago, the Soul society initiated an experiment to create artificial souls for the purpose of battling hollows. Each modified soul would have a special enhancement that would be useful in battle. But the project was scrapped and the mod souls ordered destroyed."

"Even though they were alive?"

"That was the ruling of the Soul Society." Rukia said. "And their laws are absolute."

"That's a load of bull." Toshiro shot at her. "It does explain what he's doing, though. This is the only freedom he's ever known."

"You're probably right. I'll have to have a word with Urahara about the quality of his products."

"Who's Urahara?"

* * *

"This is great!" the mod soul yelled, leaping through the air with his modified power, extremely strong legs.

"This power I was given, it fits the whole idea of freedom perfectly! Wahoo!" He did a summersault in midair and landed on the roof of a ten story building.

"And this stamina! I've been jumping around for almost an hour and I'm not tired at all!" He looked out over the city. "Now where should I go now?"

"Come to me, Shinigami."

The mod soul froze.

"Please tell me that's just you making a scary voice, Toshiro. I can explain."

He felt the breath on the back of his neck.

"Whoa!" he yelled spinning around. "You're not Toshiro."

"No, Shinigami. I found you."

"Um, there must be some mistake. I'm not a Shinigami!"

"Do not lie to me, little Shinigami. You have the highest reiatsu in this city. Only a Shinigami can leap as you do."

"C-crap." The mod soul muttered.

"Are you going to leave that gigai and fight me with your true power?"

"I told you, I can't! I'm not a Shinigami!"

"So be it. I will eat you as you are."

Furry tendrils seized the mod soul from all sides. He screamed and struggled, but was carried towardsa set of waiting jaws.

"Figures you'd attract even more trouble."

There was a flash of light as the tendrils were severed. The mod soul was pulled away from the hollow.

"T-Toshiro!" the mod soul breathed in relief.

"That's _my_ body you almost got eaten there." Toshiro said firmly. "You need to be a lot more careful."

"S-sure!"

"This one's a lot bigger than the others." Toshiro observed. The hollow had the form of a giant, furry rodent, except for the head, which besides for being oversized even for a hollow was human shaped. "Uglier too."

At the other side of the roof, Rukia gaped in shock.

"Hey, Rukia. What's wrong?"

"Th-that's the _Grand Fisher!"_

* * *

_AN: The idea with most of this chapter was to basically have a montage of events showing the passage of time and how their relationship develops instead of following the original one episode at a time._


	4. Chapter 4

"So you're the little Shinigami that's terrorizing all the poor hollows around here." The hollow known as the Grand Fisher said playfully. "What's your name?"

"Toshiro Hitsugaya."

"Yes. You smell delicious." A tendril shot out of the hollow's side, it's end as sharp as a blade. Toshiro leapt away from the attack over to where Rukia was standing.

"Take him." He said, dropping the mod soul.

"Toshiro, I think we should retreat." Rukia said.

"To where?"

Rukia looked away. "I don't know."

"What's so special about this Grand Fisher anyway?"

"He's evaded the Shinigami for over fifty years. He's classified as a priority one threat. I can't even imagine what he's doing here."

"Escalation."

"What?"

"It's a police term, Rukia. It means the bigger guns the cops get, the bigger guns the criminals bring in to counter them. He already said he had heard about me."

'Can that be true?' Rukia wondered. 'Could just the word of Toshiro have brought the Grand Fisher here?'

"And here I thought I couldn't hate this job anymore." Toshiro said humorously.

"As long as you understand that he's much more dangerous than any other hollow you've faced so far."

"Yeah. You don't have to tell me to be extra careful." Toshiro stepped toward the Grand Fisher again.

"Done saying your goodbyes?" it sneered.

"Yeah. Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Don't die too quickly, boy. I like to play with my food before I eat it."

Two tendrils shot at Toshiro from either side, and he again jumped over the attack, this time at his opponent. He brought his sword down as hard as he could, but the Grand Fisher had already moved out of the way. Bits of concrete and plaster flew through the air from where Toshiro had struck the roof.

'He's faster than the other hollows.'

More tendrils attacked Toshiro, and this time he was forced to roll to avoid them. Coming out of the roll, Toshiro swung his Zanpakuto to the right, slicing off the two tendrils that had been able to follow him.

The Grand Fisher laughed, and Toshiro scowled.

'That stuff's part of his body and he didn't react when I cut them! Does he not feel pain?'

Nearby, The mod soul was close to panicking.

"Um, what's wrong? I thought Toshiro would have killed that thing by now. He looks less confident than before."

"Shut up." Rukia commanded, wiping sweat off of her forehead.

'I never thought Toshiro would have to go up against an opponent like this. _I've_ only ever faced one hollow this dangerous, and that was with my captain and lieutenant!'

She took a deep breath. 'It's not about winning this time. It's about surviving.

'Live, Toshiro. Please.'

"Are you really the soul reaper the other hollows are so afraid of?" the Grand Fisher asked. "You're one of the slowest Shinigami I've fought, and believe me, I've eaten plenty."

"You want fast?" Toshiro asked, raising a finger. "Hado number four! Byakurai!"

A beam of blue energy shot out of his finger, striking the Grand Fisher in the center of its mask. It shook its head, then leered.

"Is that really all you've got, little Shinigami?"

Toshiro's eyes widened in fear as he kept his finger in place. "No effect."

"Want me to tell you why that attack didn't work?"

"Don't mock me." Toshiro warned, assuming a defensive stance.

"In the middle of combat the length the incantations makes their kido spells useless. Because of that you wanted to cast it quickly, so you left out the incantation that comes before the spell. But kido is much weaker when cast without the incantation."

"Crap." Toshiro breathed.

"Only a truly powerful Shinigami can get any real power in a kido spell while skipping the incantation. And besides," the Grand Fisher said disparagingly, "that level of kido wouldn't hurt me at its full power.

"This is really disappointing. I thought the Soul Society had sent one of its elites here, but it turns out to be nothing more than a child out of his depth."

The Grand Fisher took in a deep breath, then yelled. Its fur exploded off of its body, moving as if it was a liquid with a mind of its own. The fur surrounded Toshiro on all sides. He attempted to slice through it, but there was too much, and he was seized by all four limbs.

Toshiro screamed, struggling to at least move his sword arm, to no avail. The Grand Fisher reeled him in, opening its mouth wide to swallow him.

"Good bye, little Shinigami."

"Hado number thirty-three! Sokatsui!"

A large burst of blue energy tore through the fur between Toshiro and the Grand Fisher, breaking the hollow's hold on him and allowing him to cut through the fur still holding him. He braced himself with one hand and knee as he landed.

"Thanks, Rukia." Toshiro said, looking to his side. Smoke was still coming out of Rukia's hands, both of which were raised at the Grand Fisher.

"Let me take charge of this fight." Rukia said. "I'm still better at using kido than you are, at the very least. Back me up."

"Right." Toshiro responded, moving behind Rukia. "With his power he can attack from any angle, so surrounding him is going to be useless."

"I know."

"What's this?" the Grand Fisher asked playfully. "Are you a Shinigami too? That was a much better kido spell, but you're not wearing a kimono or holding a Zanpakuto. How is this?"

"You don't need to know." Rukia said, "since you're about to be destroyed."

"Ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Are you serious? With that kind of power both of you combined can't even scratch me!"

'He's right.' Rukia thought. 'I still can't put much power into my kido spells, evn with the full incantations. A weak thirties level is the best I can do.'

"But you, boy. You smell familiar. Have we fought before?"

"No." Toshiro said.

"Really? How long have you been in Karakura town?"

"My whole life! And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Just wondering. If you've been in Karakura town your whole life you must actually be a human, little Shinigami. Now, what lure did I use the last time I was here?"

"What's he talking about?" Toshiro asked Rukia.

"The Grand Fisher uses a bait attached to the top of its head to lure spirits and people with strong spiritual presences. The baits allow him to trap and eat people with a minimum of effort and increase his strength very quickly. It's by far the most dangerous thing about him."

"Ah," the Grand Fisher said, "that's it."

A tendril extended out of the hollow's head, settling above the ground in front of it. At the end was the form of a person.

"That's-" Toshiro said in shock.

"What?" Rukia asked.

The form was of a small girl, younger than Toshiro, with long black hair and dead eyes.

"Two years ago," Toshiro said through clenched teeth, "I tried to save this girl."

"Two years ago?"

_"Momo, what's that girl doing."_

_"What are you talking about, Toshiro? There's no one there. Come on, or we'll be late for dinner."_

_"Okay."_

_But he looked back. The girl bent her knees, as if to jump in the river._

_"Stop!" he yelled, breaking away from Momo and running toward the girl._

_"Toshiro! Wait!"_

_He reached her in time, but his hand passed through her._

_"What?"_

_"Toshiro!"_

_The world went black._

"When I woke up," Toshiro continued, "Momo was dead."

"Toshiro…" Rukia began. 'I don't know what to say. I haven't felt this helpless since-'

"So you _have_ seen this form before." The Grand Fisher said. "You must have been one of those people with high spirit power I try to catch. You're lucky to have survived." he leered.

"You must have had a woman with you at the time. Even if I have targets with high reiatsus, I can't ignore the females. They are just so _tasty."_

"Rukia," Toshiro said, looking at the ground, "I'm changing the plan. _You_ back _me_ up."

"Fine."

"Why are you acting so butt hurt all of a sudden?" the Grand Fisher taunted. "If she was anyone of any importance, I'd remember eating her."

"You…" Toshiro muttered, still looking at the ground. "You…_How dare you!" _he screamed, charging at the Grand Fisher while swinging his sword.

"Whoa!" the Grand Fisher yelped, leaping off of the building. The pavement cracked beneath each of his four feet as he landed on the street below.

"Damn that brat. Where'd that sudden speed come from?"

"Toshiro!" Rukia yelled. He turned his head to her, and his eyes silenced her.

They were glowing blue.

Without a word, he leapt after the Grand Fisher. Rukia and the mod soul ran to the edge of the roof to watch.

"Aren't you going to go down there to help him?" the mod soul asked.

Rukia shook her head sadly. "I can't. This has turned into his fight."

_"If you help him now, you might save his life, but is that all he's fighting for?"_

Memories flowed through Toshiro's brain as he arced towards the Grand Fisher.

'After I switched grades, Momo was the only one who supported me.'

_"Wow, Toshiro. You're first test in my grade and you get the top in the class!"_

_"You're not jealous?"_

_"Why would I be jealous?"_

_"The other students are." _

_"Oh, come here." She pulled him close and hugged him. "My little brother's a genius! I'm not jealous, I'm proud! So very proud!" _

'And when I was picked on, she was the only one who stood up for me.'

_"What are you doing!"_

_The large boys dropped Toshiro, and she ran over to him. One of his eyes was swollen and he was bleeding from both nostrils._

_"Why are you doing this to my brother!"_

_"Because he's a freak!"_

_"Well, you know what? It's people like Toshiro who are going to be running the world soon, and you'd better watch out when that day comes!"_

'Even when she died she was trying to protect me.'

"Rooaaaaaah!" Toshiro screamed as he landed, swinging his sword down in an overhead strike that the Grand Fisher just avoided by moving to the side. A handful of his hairs fell to the ground.

The Grand Fisher looked back as the force of Toshiro's attack smashing into the ground continued to crack the pavement for six meters past the tip of his sword.

"You took her…" Toshiro growled.

"Hmmm." the Grand Fisher mused. "Maybe you are worth eating after all." His fur expanded at Toshiro again, but he just sliced through the top fur tendrils and leapt out of the way.

"Damn you." the Grand Fisher said, shooting more concentrated tendril attacks at Toshiro, who just cut through them. He pressed the Grand Fisher back across the street, angling and timing his attacks to keep it from escaping to the right or left, and into an alley.

"Shit!" the Grand Fisher exclaimed, realizing that his size had just been rendered a serious disadvantage.

"I'm going to kill you, hollow."

"Are you, now?"

Toshiro raised his sword for the final blow, but a figure appeared in front of him, making him freeze in mid-swing.

Appearing to be twelve years of age, with flowing black hair, blue eyes, and a standard schoolgirl outfit, was the one person Toshiro had never expected to see again.

"Mo…mo…?"

"Please stop, Toshiro." The figure said. "You wouldn't hurt your sister now, would you?"

"I-I-ack!"

A tendril shot out from behind the figure at the distracted Toshiro, piercing his left shoulder all the way through. He staggered back, holding his sword with his left hand and the wound with his right.

"You…"Toshiro spat. "Killing her wasn't enough for you, you evil…" He raised his sword again.

"Stop!"

The figure of Momo appeared in front of him again, and Toshiro froze in his tracks. His hands began to shake.

"I protected you your whole life, and this is how you repay me, Toshiro? Put down that sword."

"Momo…-arg!"

Another tendril pierced his right shoulder.

"Toshiro!" Rukia screamed running towards him.

"Rukia…" Toshiro said weakly. "I can't…"

"You've got to look past her, Toshiro! She's not real!"

Toshiro tried to lift his sword, but his arms were frozen.

"I know that!" he screamed. "I know she's just an illusion he's using to try to kill me! But when I look at her, I-I just can't…"

"That's right, little Shinigami." The Grand Fisher said triumphantly. "Everyone, no matter how bloodthirsty, has one person that they can never kill. It is a fatal flaw I've used against countless Shinigami in the past."

A tendril pierced Toshiro's chest, and he collapsed.

"Toshiroooo!" Rukia screamed.

_"Toshiro, why are you crying?"_

_"I'm not crying!"_

_She smiled. "Of course not. Why are you upset?"_

_"I'm not upset. I'm just thinking."_

_"Very well. I'll leave you to your 'thinking,'Mr. Einstein." She turned to leave._

_"Momo?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Why does everyone seem to hate me?"_

_"I don't know." She said sadly._

_"This school, this whole world, why is it so cruel!"_

_She took the sobbing boy and embraced him tightly, lending him her shoulder to cry on._

_"I'm not crying." He insisted._

_"I know you're not._

_"I don't know why this world is so cruel sometimes," she told him, "but I do know one thing. If anyone can come up with a good reason why, it'll be you._

_"So promise me, Toshiro, that when you find the answer you'll share it with me? Cause I'd really like to know too."_

_"I promise, Momo."_

His head bowed down to the ground, Toshiro rose.

"What?" the Grand Fisher asked in shock. "You still intend to fight in that condition?"

"I couldn't keep my promise to you, Momo," Toshiro said to himself, "but this promise I'm going to keep. I'm going to kill him."

Toshiro swung his Zanpakuto around. It cut through the image of Momo, which dissipated.

"You-you-you cut down your own sister!" the Grand Fisher screamed. "What kind of kid are-arrrrrrrrggggggggg!"

Toshiro, still looking at the ground, stabbed his sword into the Grand Fisher's flesh. He raised his head, and at last the Grand Fisher realized the truth.

"You-you son of a bitch, you've been fighting with your eyes closed!"

"All I pictured in my head," Toshiro said venomously, "was your ugly mug."

The Grand Fisher pulled back, screaming as the release of the Zanpakuto from his body drew more blood with it, and leapt onto the nearest building as quickly as he could.

"Come back, you coward!" Toshiro screamed.

"Fighting with your eyes closed may have seemed like a good idea," the Grand Fisher yelled, "but because of that you missed my head!

"Don't worry, though! There will be a next time! You wounded me, and that is something I cannot forgive! The next time we meet, Toshiro Hitsugaya, I _will_ kill you!"

With that, the Grand Fisher vanished.

"No!" Toshiro screamed. "Come back! We're going to settle this now!"

He collapsed backwards, into Rukia's arms.

"Easy." She said. "You're lucky to be alive. Those wounds are terrible."

"No!" he screamed at her. "I've got to go after him! He's got to pay! I've got to-to-to…"

Toshiro broke down completely.

"Toshiro…" Rukia said.

She took the sobbing boy and embraced him tightly, lending him her shoulder to cry on.

"I'm so sorry."

Rukia took in the sight of Toshiro: gravely wounded, crying uncontrollably.

"I'm so sorry."

'You're an exceptional child,' she thought, 'but still just a child. And I've made you carry my burden, a Shinigami's burden for far too long. I should never have asked so much of you.'

"I'm so sorry."


	5. Chapter 5

Rukia found Toshiro buried in that day's homework.

"Toshiro…"

"I told you to drop it."

But Rukia would not let the subject drop.

"You were the one who didn't want to be a Shinigami in the first place! I'm telling you that you don't have to do it anymore!"

"I feel that I do!"

"Why?"

"Because he's still out there!"

Toshiro's pen cracked from being squeezed too hard. He rose to get a tissue to wipe off the ink that had spilled onto his hand.

"As long as the Grand Fisher's still alive," Toshiro said with narrowed eyes, "I'm not quitting. Not until one of us is dead."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Rukia whispered.

"So what am I supposed to do! Forget everything I've seen? Ignore the fact that people I know are constantly being threatened? That stronger and stronger hollows are going to be coming here?" He sat down and took another pen.

"Or is the Grand Fisher the strongest hollow out there?"

….." "

I thouht so." Toshiro sat back down and took another pen."

"If you don't want to see me get hurt again, you can leave." He pointed at a Godzilla doll on the floor. "With him around I can transform whenever I need to by myself."

'Zilla' raised his tiny arms as high as he could. "Keep me outta this, please."

Rukia could not help but grin at the cowardly lizard.

_She and the mod soul had dragged Toshiro to a nearby park and set him against a tree so she could begin healing his wounds._

_"Ughh." Toshiro groaned, barely conscious._

_"Is he gonna be all right?" the mod soul asked. "He's bleeding all over the place."_

_"It's bad,"Rukia answered, "but still within my ability to handle."_

_Rukia's hands glowed as she cast a healing kido spell over the wound on Toshiro's chest. The boy's movements and breathing became more relaxed._

_The mod soul shifted uncomfortably. "And what are you going to do with me now?"_

_"We're going to give Toshiro his body back. After that, who knows?"_

_"Great." The mod soul sighed. "So this might all be just a stay of execu-"_

_A wooden staff passed through his head from behind, knocking the soul candy out of Toshiro's body. The body fell to the ground, while the candy was seized by a hand._

_"Urahara!" Rukia exclaimed._

_"Looks like you've had a busy day." The man in the funny hat said playfully. "I'm sorry about the slipup with the merchandise. Jinta here," he said, gesturing at a red headed boy standing behind him with Ururu, "was supposed to have thrown out the box marked 'defective goods' and Ururu accidently took the soul from that box. I can give you a refund if you like."_

_"What are you going to do with the mod soul?" Rukia asked._

_"What do you expect?" Urahara answered more seriously. "I'm going to destroy it."_

_"No."_

_Rukia gasped, and even Urahara looked surprised, as Toshiro grabbed his wrist and pulled himself up. He looked Urahara directly in the eye._

_"He didn't do anything that warrants being destroyed." he said, breathing hard again._

_"Toshiro!" Rukia said. "You're still in no condition for this!"_

_"Shut up, Rukia!" Toshiro's stare-down with Urahara turned into a glare, all of his body weight supported solely by Urahara's arm._

_"You're that guy Rukia mentioned before, aren't you?"_

_"Probably." Urahara said. "I provided her with the gigai she's currently wearing, along with other assorted items. I _am _a business man, if just a humble one. People call me Mr. Hat and Clogs around here." _

_"I don't care!" Toshiro yelled, pulling Urahara closer. "If you want to destroy him, you're going to have to go through me first."_

_"It's the law." Urahara retorted._

_"To hell with the law!"_

_Urahara bent his head down just enough for the brim of his hat to hide his expression. "So you're making a moral stand…"_

_He suddenly looked up at Toshiro, beaming from ear to ear._

_"That's perfect!" he exclaimed, tossing the soul candy into the air with a flick of his wrist._

_"Wha-?" Toshiro released Uraraha's hand to catch the candy._

_"That's just what I was hoping you'd do." Urahara said, turning to walk away with his young employees. He paused to look back for just a second._

_"You are the type of man I thought you were."_

_Toshiro took a look at the soul candy in his hand before collapsing back against the tree. He took a deep breath._

_"What just happened?"_

_"I don't know." Rukia said. "I don't understand anything that man says or does."_

_"The way he talked…it was like he wanted something from me. Is he trustworthy?"_

_Rukia shook her head. "I don't know. He's figured out a lot about us just from my visits to his store, but he hasn't taken advantage in any way yet."_

_"So he may not be a problem." Toshiro held up the soul candy. "Is there any way to get this guy a body that's not mine?"_

_"Are you sure you want to do that after what he pulled today?"_

_Toshiro nodded. "If we set up rules for him it should be fine. He just got drunk on his first real taste of freedom."_

_"Hmmm." Rukia thought. "The easiest way would be to put it in a dead body."_

_"Ummm, yeah. That's out. I'm not raiding a cemetery." Toshiro looked thoughtful for a second, then started to laugh._

_"Ow! Man. It hurts to laugh."_

_"What's so funny?"_

_"I just had an idea only a kid could possibly think up."_

The result of Toshiro's crazy idea now stood before them: a walking, talking, foot tall, somewhat perverted Godzilla.

The words Toshiro had not quite spoken hung in the air.

_I don't need you anymore._

Beep Beep

"Is that a hollow?" Toshiro asked quickly.

Rukia looked at her phone. "Yes. But it's a small one, not like the Grand Fisher."

Toshiro set his second pen down. "What are we waiting for?"

* * *

Toshiro walked back and forth impatiently.

"I'm gonna wear a trench in the road soon. Where's this hollow?"

"I don't know." Rukia said, pressing different buttons on her phone. "The signal just disappeared."

"Did it just go away?"

"I guess so."

"Waste of time." Toshiro muttered.

* * *

"Is something wrong, Rukia?" Orihime asked.

"Hmmm?" Rukia responded, her sandwich still in her mouth.

"This is the first lunch since you've got here that you and Toshiro haven't been sitting together. And you both look pretty upset."

_"You can leave."_

Rukia smiled. "It's nothing. We just need a little space."

Across the lunchroom, Chad approached Toshiro.

"Hey."

"Hey, Chad."

"Did you see the bulletin board? They posted the rankings for this semester."

"No. If I go there now I expect I'll have a black eye during next period. I already know how I ranked."

"Tied with Uryu Ishida for first place again."

Toshiro put his food down. "You sound surprised."

"Um, I, uh, thought you had less time for studying this semester."

Toshiro's eyes narrowed sharply. "Why would I have less time for studying?"

"Well, um, you've been looking more tired recently, and you're always hanging around with Rukia, and-"

Toshiro shot up.

"W-what is it?" Chad asked nervously.

"Nothing. I just have to go to the bathroom."

* * *

"This is ridiculous." Toshiro said, surveying the empty area. "Are you deliberately leading me away from where the hollows are?"

"No." Rukia insisted, hitting the side of her phone. "I don't understand why the signal keeps disappearing."

"Shouldn't it be obvious?" a voice asked from behind them.

Rukia and Toshiro turned to see a young man, dressed in a white jumpsuit and coat which he wore like a cloak and wearing highly reflective glasses, walking towards them. It was so dark that night that Toshiro could not recognize him until he came close.

"Someone else already defeated it." he said.

"Uryu." Toshiro said.

"I'm flattered." Uryu Ishida said sarcastically.

"How are you able to see me right now?" Toshiro demanded. In order to fight the hollow Rukia had detected he had come in his Shinigami form.

"I can do far more than just see you, Toshiro Hitsugaya." Uryu said. "I believe I can see far more clearly than you are capable of." He turned his head to the side. "For instance, a hollow has just appeared."

Two seconds later, Rukia's phone began to beep.

"He's right." She said. "There's a hollow over-"

"There." Uryu pointed, a small cross dangling from his wrist. A light blue ribbon of energy extended out of the cross as he held his hand up, coalescing into a large energy bow and arrow.

Uryu fired his arrow. It flew across the town until it reached its target, a small hollow. The monster was vaporized on impact.

"Nice aim." Toshiro said, genuinely impressed. "How'd you do that?"

"I'm a Quincy." Uryu said, as if the words were heavier than the entire earth. "And I hate Shinigami."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "And the point of this is?"

"That you understand, Toshiro Hitsugaya, that I hate _you."_

Toshiro huffed and folded his arms across his chest. "If you're hoping to start an 'I hate Toshiro' fan club, be my guest. You'll get plenty of members."

Uryu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and turned away.

"That's one of our classmates, isn't it?" Rukia asked.

"Uryu Ishida." Toshiro said. "The only student in our class whose grades match mine. If it wasn't for him bringing up the GPA of the grade I'd have skipped directly into high school already."

He turned to Rukia. "Do you know what exactly a Quincy is?"

She shook her head. "No. I remember hearing the term when I was at the Shinigami academy, but I don't remember any specifics. I suppose I can ask him tomorrow."

"'Him,' meaning Hat and Clogs?"

"Yeah."

"Count me out on that one." Toshiro said.

* * *

"Ah" Urahara said. "Back for more merchandise, Miss Kuchiki? I've got a number of-"

"I'm here for information."

"Oh? What do you want to know?"

"I want to know about the Quincies."

"Ah." Urahra turned around and walked to the back of his shop where he sat down on a step in front of the wall. "That's a term I haven't heard in quite a long time."

"You're actually serious." Rukia observed, visibly surprised.

"It's a serious subject, Quincies. They went extinct two hundred years ago."

"Extinct?"

Urahara gave her a piercing stare. "Actually, they were _exterminated."_

As Rukia listened to Urahara, her eyes grew wider and wider.

* * *

Uryu was buried in a novel as he walked home from school. He turned a corner to ascend a set of stairs to the top of a hill, but stopped halfway up the stairs.

"How long do you plan on following me?" Uryu asked without turning around.

"Impressive." Toshiro said, coming out from behind the corneryou. "I was hiding my reiatsu."

Uryu closed his book and pushed his glasses up. "Only the best Shinigami can hide their presence from someone with any real skill in detecting spiritual disturbances."

"Those red ribbons do tend to stand out."

Uryu moved directly above Toshiro on the staircase and looked down at him.

"You met the Shinigami Rukia Kuchiki nearly two months ago and gained her powers, and it all that time you never noticed one of your classmates also had an abnormally high reiatsu."

"Oh, I noticed." Toshiro said. "I just didn't think anything of it because Chad, Tatsuki, and Orihime also have high reiatsus but don't have powers like we do. I _did _find it weird that you were the only one of them not being attacked by hollows regularly, but then again, I had a high reiatsu for years without seeing a hollow."

"I see." Uryu said. "So you're not as dense as I thought."

Toshiro folded his arms across his chest again. "So what is this about? Are you sore about that one test we took in January that I got a higher score than you on?"

"No." Uryu insisted. "As a matter of fact, I like having a challenge in school. I am a Quincy. I hate Shinigami."

"I still don't see any point in this."

Uryu turned away again. "You have witnessed my speed and efficiency. Compared to the skills you have developed these last two months, I am clearly superior.

He looked over his shoulder at Toshiro. "I am here, so this town does not need a Shinigami."

Toshiro looked at his toes. "You're the second person in three days who's told me to quit." He raised his head slightly. "I've got my own reasons for wanting to be a Shinigami right now. If you want to help, fine. But don't get in my way."

'And don't even think about coming between me and the Grand Fisher.'

"I don't think you realize the difference between us." Uryu said. "Perhaps if we have a match you'll come to see just how useless you are to this town."

"Forget it." Toshiro said, starting to walk away.

"What?"

"I've got nothing to prove to you, Uryu. I don't see any purpose in a grudge match."

"Are you afraid?" Uryu asked. "Afraid of being embarrassed?"

"Now you're trying to bait me? Are you serious?"

"Or is it Rukia?" Uryu called after him. Toshiro stopped.

"What about Rukia?" he asked without turning around.

"You only got your powers from her. Do you need her permission every time you use your Shinigami powers?"

"You know, I _really_ resent being treated like a child. So just stop trying to provoke me into attacking you."

"Who said anything about attacking each other?"

That got Toshiro to turn around. "Huh?"

Uryu reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, round pill. "This is a bait which Quincies use to draw in hollows to kill. I propose that we see which of us can kill the most hollows in one hour to determine the winner of our match."

"Are you insane?" Toshiro asked. "Actually luring hollows here? How many lives are you risking for a game!"

"You don't think you can handle it." Uryu observed. "Fine, then I will." He crushed the pill between his fingers.

A small wave seemed to pass through Toshiro's body, and he raised his hand to his chest.

"You-you actually did it." Regaining his composure, he ran up to Uryu and grabbed him by his shirt.

"Make it stop!"

"I can't." Uryu said calmly. "The die is cast. What will you do, Toshiro Hitsugaya?"

Toshiro let him go. "Damn you."

He took off his backback and opened it.

"Air! Finally!"

"What's that?" Uryu asked as Toshiro pulled Zilla out of his backback. "A talking Godzilla doll?"

"Dammit, Toshiro!" Zilla screamed. "I don't care if Rukia had anything to do with it! You can't just stuff me in a backpack all day!"

"Shut up." Toshiro said, reaching his hand into Zilla's mouth.

"Hey! Stop th-"

Toshiro pulled the soul candy out and threw it into his own mouth. His body fell backwards as he stood in his Shinigami costume.

"Find a place to hide." he told Zilla. "Things are about to get serious."

"Right." Zilla muttered in Toshiro's body. He gathered the backpack as Toshiro ran off.

As he passed Uryu by, Toshiro warned "This isn't over between us."

"Of course not." Uryu answered, not bothering to look at Toshiro. He raised his arm, and the blue bow appeared.

"Finally, the hollows are coming."

* * *

Rukia's cell phone beeped.

"Oh?" Urahara asked. "Is there a hollow?"

Rukia looked at her phone. "Yes. But either Toshiro or the Quincy should be able to handle….it?"

Rukia's eyes widened in horror as she continued to stare at her phone.

"What is it?" Urahara asked, a small amount of concern creeping into his voice.

Rukia bolted out of the shop.

'What's going on?' she wondered frantically. 'There's over a dozen hollow signals around the town, and more are appearing every second!'

* * *

A hollow appeared right behind Zilla, who covered his head with his hands and screamed in terror as it opened its mouth to swallow him. A blue bolt hit the monster right between the eyes, and it disintegrated.

Zilla looked up at Uryu. "Thanks."

Uryu ignored him, turning his attention to another hollow.

"That's one."

* * *

"Damn it!" Toshiro screamed, slicing a hollow in half. Two more bore down on him.

'Those three are going to be targeted again for sure. But I can't even look for them if I'm being swamped here!'

* * *

Chad turned his head at the sound of children laughing. There were kids playing soccer in the park he was walking past.

Such sights made Chad a little sad. He had always wanted to participate in sports leagues, but his great size and strength made such pursuits too risky. It would be all too easy for him to accidentally hurt someone during a game.

Another sound caught his attention, and Chad looked straight in front of him. It was a low sound, like rolling thunder. And it was getting louder.

"Something's coming."

* * *

"You're improving, Orihime." Tatsuki said as they left their karate practice.

"Am I?" Orihime beamed.

"Of course! I'm glad I'm going for the national competition this year. In another one or two you'd be able to compete with me in the finals!"

"Wow! You think so?" Orihime looked away.

'If I can be as good as Tatsuki says, would I not need to be protected by her or Toshiro anymore?'

"Is something wrong, Orihime?"

"No!" Orihime insisted. "I just zoned out for a-

**Crash!**

Orihime, Tatsuki, and the rest of the girls in their karate class turned around to look at the bilding they had just come from. Every window was smashed.

"Gee," Tatsuki said, "I wonder what happened. Orihime? Orihime?"

Orihime was looking at the top of the building, and her eyes were bulging in horror.

"Toshiro, where are you?"


	6. Chapter 6

Urahara sat outside his shop, sipping a cup of tea. His face contorted as he burned his tongue on the hot liquid. He looked solemnly at his cup, then blew on it and continued to drink, his smile restored.

Urahara leaned his head slightly to the side as a hollow attacked him from his left. His hat was knocked off, but he was completely unharmed.

"Jinta home run!" Urahara's youngest employee screamed, swinging a massive baseball bat-like object at the hollow. It flew through the air away from the shop into another hollow. Both disintegrated from the impact.

Urahara held his cup up. "Oh, good. I didn't spill any of my tea." He looked at Jinta, who was sweating profusely and breathing hard.

"That one came too close to the store, Jinta."

"That's because you sent Ururu off!" Jinta protested. "With that rocket launcher of hers she can take out a hundred at a time! It's not fair!"

Uruhara smiled at him.

"I thought you said you could defend the place by yourself."

"I can!"

"Well," Urahara said, looking back into the shop, "you won't have to do it for too much longer. I think Tessai's almost got that kido barrier up."

Jinta smirked and held his bat above his head.

"I'll kill them all before he finishes!"

Urahra smiled again as the boy through himself back into his fight with the hollows, and turned his attention to an object lying four meters away.

"Now," he said to himself, "I could go and pick up my hat, or I can be lazy and enjoy my tea. Decisions, decisions. And people think I have it easy here."

* * *

Chad could not see the creature, exactly. He could make out a hazy outline, as if the air was distorted by heat.

And he could hear it. A foul, hissing sound of breath mixed with the dripping of drool.

Chad leapt out of the way of an attack he felt rather than saw coming. He rolled behind the monster and stopped his momentum with one hand.

He watched the changes in the air distortions. The monster was turning around.

It was focused on him.

Chad looked to his right and left, and even stole a glance over his shoulder. He could go into the park, where the children were playing, or he could lead the monster into a residential neighborhood or shopping district. He found none of the options appealing.

"If you're going to show up again, Toshiro, now would be a good time."

* * *

"What did you just say about Toshiro?" Tatsuki asked.

"Oh, nothing." Orihime said quickly, trying to smile. "I just remembered, he told me about this new TV show he said was really good. I wanna go see it!" She began pushing Tatsuki away from the building. "Let's go to my house to watch!"

"Hey, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Tatsuki demanded.

"It's supposed to be even better than Don Kanogi!" Orihime insisted. She glanced nervously behind her.

'Please, let us get away. Let Toshiro show up before that thing wakes up.'

"Ughhh."

In front of them, a girl collapsed.

Tatsuki broke away from Orihime and ran to their fallen classmate.

"Are you all right?"

"Tatsuki…" Orihime said nervously, "we've got to get out of here."

"We've got to call an ambulance is what we've got to do! I think she might have been hit on the head."

Orihime cringed in fright, as all around them the rest of their karate class collapsed as well.

Tatsuki gaped at the falling bodies. "What is going on?"

Orihime looked back up at the side of the building.

'The last couple of times, there was this strong presence in the air before he came.' she thought. 'But now I don't feel it all, even though I'm trying as hard as I can!'

'Toshiro really isn't coming this time.'

* * *

"That's thirty-five." Uryu said, shooting down another hollow.

'There's a lot of them.' he thought. 'But they seem to be congregating more where Hitsugaya is. Not too surprising, but at this rate he'll pass my total soon.'

"Hellllllllp!"

Uryu shook his head as he saw that Zilla was being chased by three hollows at once. He took his aim.

"Get down."

Zilla dropped to the ground, and the hollows lunged at him.

"Ahhh! I don't want to die!"

Uryu released his arrow. It struck the first hollow, but did not stop. The projectile pierced the chest of the second hollow and continued through the head of the third.

"What's the big idea of waiting so long!" Zilla demanded. "I could have been killed!"

Uryu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "It takes longer to fire more powerful arrows. Now that's thirty-eight."

Uryu turned his attention to the next hollow.

'I will beat him, grandfather. I will prove our abilities to the Shinigami.'

* * *

Toshiro was swinging his sword around so much he was practically spinning.

"Damn it!"

As many hollows as he killed, more were always ready to take their place.

"I can't get anywhere with all of these in the way!"

**Boom**

Toshiro covered his face as the hollows around him began to explode. When he lowered his arms, the two dozen hollows he had been fighting were gone, replaced by small pillars of white smoke.

"What the?"

Toshiro spun around. Ten meters away was a little girl holding a rocket launcher that was more than twice her size over her shoulder.

"Hellow." she said, bowing. "I'm Ururu. Mr. Urahara sent me to find you."

"Uruhara? Does he have something to do with this?"

"No. Mr. Urahara said that I should tell you not to worry about your friends."

"Look what's going on!" Toshiro yelled. "How can I _not _worry?"

"Mr. Urahara said that by going to help your friends you'd just attract more hollows to them."

Toshiro grunted. It was true. He was fighting too hard to keep his reiatsu hidden.

"Mr. Urahara said that you should go back to the Quincy. He'll need your help soon. We'll help your friends."

"But-"

Ururu raised her rocket launcher and fired a missile into the air. It hit a hollow and exploded high over Toshiro's head.

"Get back to Uryu." Toshiro said, looking up. "Got it."

* * *

The soccer ball rolled out of the field the children were playing in. A girl ran over to get it.

As she picked up the ball, a shadow fell over her. She raised her eyes to see a giant standing above her.

"Um, can I help you?" she asked nervously.

Without a word, the giant took her in his arms and jumped away. She heard a crash and after they had stopped looked to see a small crater where she had been standing previously.

"All of you, run!" Chad commanded. The terrified children complied without hesitation.

All except one.

The girl Chad had just saved crawled backwards in terror, whimpering.

'Not good.' Chad thought. 'I hoped I could get everyone out of the park at least. What do I do now?'

Chad saw another shift in the air distortions, and brought his fist down in front of him. He felt the impact on what he guessed was the monster's wrist and heard it cry out in pain.

Reflexively, the monster swatted him away with its other hand. He bounced along the ground, coming to a stop fifteen meters away.

"Hey, Mister!" the girl screamed, finding her voice again. "Are you all right?"

Chad opened his eyes. His head was bleeding, and his vision was blurry.

'I can't fight this thing. The one time my strength should be good, and I'm as helpless as a baby.'

The girl crawled over to him and tried to shake him awake.

"Mister! What's happening!"

If there was one thing Chad hated, it was seeing people get hurt. He especially hated being the cause of other people's pain.

But as he watched the scared girl begin to cry, Chad experienced a new kind of hatred: hatred of seeing other people get hurt because he was too _weak._

'What good is strength, if I can't protect people, if I need someone like Toshiro to rescue me?'

He heard the monster roar again, and knew that it was preparing its final attack.

'If my current strength is not enough to protect myself, to protect others, then I want-'

**"More!"**

Chad caught the monster's fist with his own.

It backed off, and Chad realized that he could see it clearly now. A froglike creature with a white mask.

Chad looked at his right arm. It was covered in a red and black armor-like substance that was bonded to his flesh.

'I don't know what this is.' he thought. 'But worrying about that can wait until later. For now I know what I need to _do_ with it!'

Chad ran at the monster, bringing his right arm back. He put everything he had into a single punch that connected with the monster's midsection. His fist tore through the creature's flesh as easily as if it were made of tissue paper, and the rest of the beast disintegrated.

Chad held his arm up, in awe of what he had just accomplished.

* * *

Orihime continued to stare at the monster on the wall. It was even larger than the ones she had seen before, an octopus-like creature with many tentacles.

'It's just sitting there.' Orihime thought. 'Can we get away?'

"You seem confused, girlie." the monster said, making Orihime jump. "Wondering why I'm not attacking? I happen to hate fighting, so I make other people do it for me."

"What?"

The girl Tatsuki was leaning over suddenly kicked her in the chin. Tatsuki was knocked on her back.

"Tatsuki!"

"I'm all right." Tatsukia said rubbing her chin. "What was that for?" she demanded of the girl who had kicked her.

The girl did not respond as she rose to her feet.

"Answer me!"

"Tatsuki…" Orihime warned. Tatsuki looked to see what was frightening her now.

All around, the people who had collapsed began to rise, in the same silent manner as the first girl.

"What's up with their eyes?" Tatsuki asked. "They look like zombies."

One girl grabbed Orihime's arm and began to squeeze it.

"Ow!" Orihime complained. "You're hurting me!"

"Stop it!" Tatsuki yelled, smashing her elbow into the face of the person holding Orihime.

"Tatsuki."

"I don't know what's wrong with these people," Tatsuki said, "but I'm not going to let them hurt you."

Even as they were surrounded, Tatsuki leapt into action. Her fists and legs were a blur to Orihime's eyes as she beat the living daylights out of their entire karate class.

Tatsuki took a deep breath when she was finished. "This time they're not getting up so fast. Ugh!"

"Tatsuki!"

A green lump of slime had struck Tatsuki in the shoulder with such force that she fell to the ground as well.

"Damn." she muttered. "That really hurts."

"Oh, it'll do a lot more than just hurt." the monster said, prompting Orihime to turn to it again. "That slime lets me control the body of whoever it touches."

'Control?"

Behind Orihime, Tatsuki was rising, arm first.

"Run, Orihime." Tatsuki pleaded. "My arm's acting on its own. I can't stop it!"

"She's resisting it." The monster said, impressed, "but in the end it makes no difference. Soon her entire body will belong to me."

Orihime stepped back as Tatsuki raise her arm back to punch her.

'Both of them. Both of the people who protected me. They both couldn't do it this time. Toshiro's not here, and Tatsuki's hurt.'

She turned back to the monster. "Why?"

The monster laughed. "Why what? Why am I attacking you? We hollows love to eat people with high spirit energy, that's all."

'High spirit energy, me?' Orihime looked at Tatsuki again. The other girl's face was contorted in pain from resisting her arm's urge to hit Orihime as hard as she could.

'If that's true, then-then maybe I don't need Toshiro and Tatsuki to protect me.'

Orihime stepped forward and hugged Tatsuki.

"Ori…hime?"

"It's all right, Tatsuki." Orihime said soothingly. "This time, this time _I'll _protect _you."_

As the hollow watched, the girls were surrounded by a sudden pillar of smoke.

"What's going on? What just happened?"

The smoke cleared, revealing Orihime standing with an expression of anger on her face. Flashes of light seemed to swirl around.

"I won't forgive you for hurting Tatsuki!"

"What are you, little human?" the hollow demanded. "What is that power?"

One of the lights stopped in front of Orihime, and she saw that it was a fairy.

"What are you?"

The other fairies all stopped around her.

"Clueless girl." a mean looking one said. "Not even noticing us."

"We're the six flowers of the hibiscus shield, born to protect you." another one said. "We're your power."

"My power is…fairies?"

"We're not fairies." the same one insisted. "We're the power of your soul."

"This is all very interesting," the mean looking one said, but you might want to do something about that hollow first. It's not going to be patient long enough to get the introductions out of the way. You'd better learn how to control us on the spot or else we're all dead!"

"How to control you?"

"Yes. We each have names that when called unlock out powers."

"Enough!" the hollow yelled, launching another glop of slime from a pore on its forehead.

"Call out our names!" a fairy that looked like a clown said. "Hinaku, Baigon, Lily! Santen Keshunn! I reject! Say it!"

"Hinaku, Baigon, Lily, Santen Keshu! I reject!"

Three of the fairies flew in a pattern in front of her. Between them an orange barrier was formed. The slime hit the barrier and slid off.

"Oh my-" Orihime started in shock.

"No time to be surprised!" the mean one said. "It's time to attack! Say it! Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun! I Reject!"

"Right." Orihime said. "Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun! I reject!"

The mean fairy moved so fast that he seemed to turn back into a beam of light. He cut through the hollow with ease, causing it to disintegrate.

"You did it, Orihime!" the first fairy exclaimed.

"Yeah." Orihime said weakly. She collapsed, exhausted.

* * *

Three arrows struck the closest hollow, disintegrating it.

'Something's wrong.' Uryu thought. 'By now they should be thinning out, but if anything there are more of them than ever!'

Another three arrows destroyed the next hollow.

'I've used up so much of my reiatsu that I can't kill them with just one shot anymore.'

"Hey, Quincy!"

"Rukia." He said, not turning to acknowledge her. He kept his focus entirely on the hollows.

She stopped next to Zilla. "Toshiro, good."

"Rukia!" he yelled, leaping on top of her. "There's all these hollows everywhere! I didn't know what to do!"

"Zilla." she muttered, throwing him off of her.

"Where's Toshiro?" she asked Uryu.

"I don't know at the moment." he said. "I'm going to end this before he comes back."

He returned to shooting hollows, and Rukia saw what had become of his hands.

Both were so covered in blood that a steady stream was falling to the ground.

* * *

Orihime woke up in a bed not her own.

"You're awake." she heard Chad's voice say.

"Yeah." She looked around. "Where are we?"

"My place."

They both looked up at the strange man in the dark green robe, funny hat, and wooden sandals.

"My name is Urahara, and I have much to tell you. But first, do you want some tea? This might take a while."

* * *

'It's like some greater power is attracting these hollows.' Uryu thought. 'But it doesn't matter. I said I'd protect this town, and that's exactly what I'll do! While Hitsugaya and the Shinigami watch, I'll show them all!'

Another hollow appeared behind him, and he turned with his bow to face it.

He never got the chance to fire, for the hollow's head split in half.

Leaping from behind the disintegrating beast was a small figure in black.

"It took a while to get back here, but now it looks like the gang's all together."

"Toshiro." Rukia said. He nodded at her, then turned his attention to Zilla.

"You're all right. I was worried you'd get eaten and then I wouldn't have a body."

"Rukia hit me!" Zilla cried.

Toshiro ignored him, and turned lastly to Uryu.

"What's wrong? You look awful."

Inwardly, Uryu swore.

'He's been fighting for hours and barely even looks like he's broken a sweat! How?'

"Have you realized how stupid this was yet, Uryu?" Toshiro asked with a slight smirk.

"Shut up and fight."

* * *

"Hold on a second!" Orihime protested. "This is all too sudden!"

"It is hard to believe." Chad agreed. "Shinigami and hollows."

"Do you deny that the two of you were attacked just today?" Urahara asked. "By the way, you haven't touched your tea, either of you. It'll be cold by now.

"Even as we speak," Urahra continued, "Toshiro is fighting the hollows as a Shinigami. You two have been affected by the extraordinary spirit energy he radiates when he fights.

"Today, Toshiro learned that he cannot be everywhere at once, and chose to protect the town as a whole rather than just the individuals he knows. A similar choice now awaits the two of you. A door has opened before you."

As if on cue, the door in back of Urahara slid open.

"Manager," an older, bearded man who even taller than Chad said, "the sky crests have begun to converge."

"Preparations?" Urahara asked.

"Complete."

"Very well." He turned to leave, but stopped in the doorway.

"Will you come?" he asked Orihime and Chad. "I will show you what lies beyond the door."

* * *

_AN: I really didn't want to go through the Chad and Orihime fights, since there wasn't much to add from the original, but I coundn't just leave them out. So I focused on the abscence of Toshiro from those fights and what that meant, with the result being that he's not in this chapter very much._


	7. Chapter 7

"The sky!"

Toshiro, Rukia, and Zilla all turned to where Uryu was pointing. So many hollows were gathering in one place that they were turning the sky black.

"What are they doing?" Toshiro asked.

"It's like they're preparing for something." Rukia said.

"There must be hundreds, maybe thousands of them." Zilla added.

Uryu took off.

"Hey!" Toshiro called. "What are you doing?"

Uryu turned his head back to him. "What do you think? I'm going to stop them!"

"Don't be absurd! Against that many it's suicide!"

"You may be afraid!" Uryu yelled. "But this is my battle, my responsibility! I'm going to see it through to the end!" He continued running.

"That idiot." Toshiro breathed, making to run after him. But before he could move a step, Rukia grabbed his arm.

"What is it?" Toshiro demanded. "There isn't time."

"I found out about the Quincies." Rukia said gravely.

Toshiro stopped and lowered his sword. He turned to Rukia.

"Hundreds of years ago," Rukia explained, "many humans with high reiatsus like yourself learned to control their power and used their abilities to fight hollows. They were the Quincies.

"The Quincies saw themselves as the natural allies of the Shinigami, but there was one crucial difference between them. The Zanpakuto of the Shinigami cleanse the souls of hollows and send them to the Soul Society. The Quincies, however, destroyed the souls of the hollows utterly.

"There is a balance of the flow of souls between the world of the living and the Soul Society, and one of the Shinigami's main duties is to maintain that balance. The methods of the Quincies, in destroying so many souls, was throwing that balance out of whack. If left unchecked it would have meant the end of the world."

Toshiro lowered his head.

"So the Shinigami killed them."

"It wasn't their first choice. The Shinigami tried to reason with the Quincies many times, but they refused to stop. Then two hundred years ago, the order came down to exterminate them."

"Exterminate, like vermin."

"It wasn't like that!" Rukia protested.

"Wasn't it?" Toshiro looked towards the place where Uryu was fighting at that very moment.

"Where did you hear this from?"

"From Urahara."

"Him again." Toshiro said with a slight air of skepticism.

* * *

Uryu spun around furiously, firing shot after shot as fast as he could. But the army of hollows surrounded him on all sides.

'Damn it.' he thought. 'No matter how many I kill, their numbers don't decrease! But I've got to press on. I've got to do it for you, grandfather.'

**Boom**

Uryu jumped at the sound of the explosion behind him. A huge hole had opened in the line of hollows, behind which stood Toshiro with his palm extended.

"What was that?" Uryu demanded.

"The highest level hado spell I can cast." Toshiro answered, drawing his sword as he walked closer. "With the full incantation."

'He's picked up kido that fast?' Uryu wondered. He pointed his bow in Toshiro's direction and fired two shots. One hollow that had tried to sneak up on Toshiro from behind was destroyed.

Toshiro ignored the hollows as he approached Uryu.

"I just heard about what happened two hundred years ago."

"The extermination?" Uryu asked. "I don't care about that. When I learned all the facts, I actually thought the Shinigami were justified in doing what they did."

He gave Toshiro his hardest stare. "I hate Shinigami because they caused the death of my grandfather."

Toshiro opened his mouth slightly, but no words came out. Uryu resumed shooting the hollows as he continued.

"He was my teacher. As one of the last of the Quincies, the Shinigami had him under constant surveillance. When those five huge hollows attacked him, they could have saved him, but not one Shinigami came for two hours!"

Uryu was shaking with rage, and his eyes were on the verge of tears.

"My grandfather pleaded with the Shinigami to let us fight with them, to put aside our differences! He wanted to make peace! And they just let him die!"

Toshiro looked at his toes.

"I know how it feels to have someone you care about taken from you. My sister was killed by a hollow." Uryu grimaced at the revelation. "That's why I want to keep on being a Shinigami. I won't rest until I've destroyed that hollow."

Toshiro looked up just enough for Uryu to see how his eyes were full of fire.

"What you've done today, it's exactly what the Quincies did two hundred years ago. You put this entire down in danger for your own reasons just like they put two worlds in danger."

Uryu lowered his bow. 'Is he right?' he wondered. 'Am I no better than those whose refusal to listen to reason was their undoing?'

He looked at Toshiro, who did the last thing Uryu expected; he smiled.

"So, truce until we clean up this mess of yours?"

Uryu smiled back. "Fine."

Toshiro leapt into action, summersaulting with his sword through a batch of hollows as Uryu blasted away hollows from the other direction.

Three hollows jumped on Toshiro, attempting to crush him. He pushed them away with the first hado spell.

Toshiro retreated back to Uryu, who was also hard pressed.

"So much for that idea. There really are too many for both of us to take at once."

"Toshiro!" Uryu warned. "The sky!"

Toshiro looked up. "What in the-"

A crack had appeared in the blue of the sky, a crack that was growing.

"How is that possible?"

"Something big must be coming out!" Uryu yelled.

Even as he spoke, a gigantic white finger poked through the crack, pulling it farther open. Behind the crack was a total blackness.

As the hollows they had ignored while staring at the crack in the sky all charged them at once, Toshiro and Uryu realized their mistake.

"Crap!"

**Boom**

A series of explosions annihilated the hollows immediately surrounding them, kicking up a large cloud of smoke.

"This is-" Toshiro began, spinning around to see where that attack had come from.

As Toshiro had expected, he saw Ururu holding up her rocket launcher. Behind her were Uruhara, Jinta, and a large man Toshiro had never seen before.

"Hat and Clogs!"

Urahara waved happily at him. "Hi, Toshiro! We're here to help!"

"You-"

"And don't worry about your friends. They're safe, just like I promised."

"Toshiro!" Uryu yelled. "It's coming out!"

Toshiro turned again to the crack in the sky, and his mouth dropped in horror.

The white finger had become two white hands, which tore the crack so wide open that it filled the sky. The hands disappeared, and a face replaced them.

A white mask, seemingly without a body, poked through the crack. It alone was far larger than any hollow Toshiro had ever seen.

Nearby, Rukia and Zilla, who had come to observe, stared in shock.

"No." Rukia whispered. "It can't be."

The mask forced its way past the crack and into Karakura Town, and Toshiro realized why he had not noticed its body before.

This monster wore a billowing cloak so black it blended in perfectly with the world behind the crack.

"Ahhh!" Zilla screamed. "What is that thing? It's as big as the real Godzilla!"

"Menos Grande." Rukia whispered again, unable to raise her voice. "A terrifying beast created when hundreds of hollows merge together. I-I've never even _seen _a real one before. This-this is beyond any one Shinigami to handle."

'It's happening again.' she thought. 'Just like with the Grand Fisher. He's getting drawn into fights he can't win, fights he's too young to handle.'

"Run, Toshiro!" she screamed.

"Where?" Toshiro asked gravely to himself. He looked at Uryu, who was backing up unconsciously.

"What do we do?"

"I-I don't know." Uryu said. "There's still all of the little ones down here."

"Let us worry about those." Urahara said. "You two just focus on that big one."

Toshiro gulped. "How? What good is a sword against something like that?"

"We'll try attacking from different angles." Uryu said. "See if we can confuse it and keep it too unfocused to attack us back."

"You don't think that'll work either, do you?" Toshiro asked.

"No." Uryu admitted. "Can you think of a better plan?"

"No."

As they moved against the menos, Rukia ran up to Urahara.

"What are you doing?" she screamed. "Are you trying to get Toshiro killed?"

"Hardly." Urahara answered. Without taking his eyes off of the Quincy/Shinigami duo, he held two fingers up in front of Rukia. Her arms locked into place behind her and she fell to her knees.

'This is a bakudo spell!' she realized. 'But he didn't even say the name, let alone the incantation!'

"This is a necessary fight," Urahara said, "for both you _and _him."

* * *

Several blocks away, Chad and Orihime watched from an overpass.

"Is Toshiro really going to fight that thing?" Orihime asked, referring to the menos. Even at the distance from the battle they stood, the monster's size was still terrifying to behold.

"Yes." Chad said. "And Uryu as well."

"What are we supposed to do?"

Chad shook his head. "There is nothing we can do against a monster like that. Not with powers we've only just discovered today."

"So we just watch."

He nodded.

'Watch,' Orihime thought, 'and decide. Is that what Urahara meant? But what are we supposed to decide? Is there something even worse that's supposed to be coming?'

* * *

Toshiro and Uryu were close to the menos now, close enough to see how much they were dwarfed by its foot. The menos gave no sign that it even noticed their presence, which made them feel even more insignificant.

"Are you ready?" Uryu asked.

"No." Toshiro said. "I think I need a bigger sword."

"On my mark, raise your reiatsu to its maximum and go."

"It already is."

"What?" Uryu asked, taken aback.

"Most of the time I keep my reiatsu hidden," Toshiro explained, "but when I'm fighting I don't hold anything back. I never saw the point."

"You must be joking." Uryu said. "You've been fighting for the better part of a day, and your reiatsu has been at its peak the entire time?"

"Yeah."

"That's impossible! If anyone had their powers at their peak for that long they'd have long since burned themselves out! You've _got_ to have more power to still be able to fight at this level!"

'I didn't want to think about it before.' Uryu thought. 'But I realized when he appeared without even being short of breath that his true power must be monstrous.'

"Think! Have you ever felt like there was something more, like there was an even greater power within you?"

Toshiro sighed. "There was one time."

_"Rooaaaaaah!" Toshiro screamed as he landed, swinging his sword down in an overhead strike that the Grand Fisher just avoided by moving to the side. A handful of his hairs fell to the ground._

_The Grand Fisher looked back as the force of Toshiro's attack smashing into the ground continued to crack the pavement for six meters past the tip of his sword._

"Good!" Uryu said. "What was different about that time?"

"I was angry."

_"You took her…"_

"Can you focus on that anger?"

Toshiro nodded. "I think so." He closed his eyes and bowed his head to the ground.

Toshiro pictured the Grand Fisher's face in his minds

_"You must have had a woman with you at the time. Even if I have targets with high reiatsus, females are just so _tasty._"_

As Uryu watched, a wind began to blow around them.

'The air feels cold all of a sudden.'

Toshiro growled.

_"Why are you acting so butt hurt all of a sudden? If she was anyone of any importance, I'd remember eating her."_

The air around Toshiro seemed to burst, and Uryu shielded his face with his arms.

"That's it!" he yelled.

When he lowered his arms, Uryu could only gape.

Toshiro was surrounded by glowing white aura.

'This reiatsu…How could he have this much in reserve?'

By Rukia, Urahara put his hands together.

"He's close, now. Good."

The menos looked down at Toshiro and Uryu: the sudden increase in the reiatsu near it having caught its attention. A red glow began to surround its mouth.

"Um, Toshiro," Uryu said nervously, "you might want to open your eyes now."

"That monster." Rukia said. "It's really going to fire a cero _here?_

"Get out of there!" she creamed with all her might. "If that hits you there won't be an atom left!"

The menos opened its mouth, and a red beam of energy shot forth. Uryu jumped out of the way, but Toshiro just stood his ground.

"You idiot!" Uryu screamed. "Move!"

With a roar, Toshiro raised his sword to block the beam. The impact of the cero on the blade drove Toshiro to one knee, but the metal held under the onslaught.

Uryu watched in awe as Toshiro struggled against the cero.

'He still has his eyes closed! Does he even know what he's doing?'

Uryu had no way of knowing the voices that were going through Toshiro's mind, those of his late sister and of the Grand Fisher. But a third voice appeared as well, unbidden.

**Hear Me**

Toshiro opened his eyes, feeling the pressure against his sword suddenly decrease. He screamed as he swung with all his strength, and the cero was deflected back at the menos.

The beam struck the gigantic hollow just above the hole in its chest, knocking it back. As the menos fell, it grabbed the edges of the crack in the sky to right itself.

"Great." Uryu muttered, readying his bow. But the menos did not come through the crack again.

It pulled the crack closed.

Toshiro leaned forward, completely out of breathe.

"Did-did my sword get longer for a second?"

Urahara closed his eyes and shook his head. "He almost had it. But even without it, impressive."

"Toshiro..." Rukia said in shock.

"It really left." Uryu said. He looked at Toshiro. "He really did it."

Toshiro looked at Uryu and smiled. He dropped his sword and collapsed.

"Toshiro!" Uryu ran over to him.

'He's just exhausted.' he thought with relief. 'And after that he has a right to be.'

"You know something, Toshiro? You're one scary kid."

* * *

In a dark, barren world, a terrible sound resounded for miles, frightening away all creatures.

It was the sound of a wounded Menos Grande screaming.

The monster writhed and twitched as it continued to scream. It fell forward, causing a cloud of dust large enough to be considered a sandstorm to arise.

The dust circled the beast as if it was the center of a tornado, and when it cleared, there was no longer a black figure on the ground.

Now the figure was bright, and instead of tall, it was long.

"Shini…gami…" it breathed.

* * *

"Now that was an eventful day!" Urahara said happily as his group walked back to their store.

"We could have taken on the menos." Jinta said dejectedly.

"Yes." Tessai said. "But that was not the point. I think I see what the manager sees in that boy now."

They crossed the fence between the sidewalk and the store, and Urahara stopped.

"What is it?" Jinta asked. Urahara was staring at a spot on the ground unusually seriously.

There was something there, something staring at them all.

"What?" Jinta asked again. "It's just a cat. Or do you think black cats are cursed or something?"

"Jinta." Tessai warned.

Urahara threw his hands up.

"Yoruichi!" he squeled.

* * *

The former Menos Grande slithered through the sand.

'I'll get that Shinigami.' it thought. 'He will regret what he did to-to'

'What _is _my name? I can't remember. Better think of one.'

The hollow thought long and hard before deciding on a name.

"Tier…Harribel..."


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: All Vasto Lorde class Menos eveolved from the Gillian and Adjuchas classes first, so at some point Harribel had to have been a Gillian. At the end was her first transformation, so she's an Adjuchas now. _

* * *

Toshiro tossed and turned as he slept.

He was once again in the icy plain, face to face with a giant blue dragon.

**Child**

'That voice.' Toshiro realized. 'It's the same one from before.'

**My Name Is**

"I can't hear you!"

The dragon roared its frustration.

* * *

Rukia lay in her closet.

'This can't be kept a secret.' she thought. 'For a Menos Grande to appear in the world of the living and be beaten back by a human child. The Soul Society will find out about this soon, if they haven't already.'

"Hey, Rukia!" Toshiro yelled, knocking on the closet door. "It's time for school! Rukia!"

Rukia shoved the door open. "Don't be so pushy!" she said irritably.

"Is something wrong?" Toshiro asked.

"No." she said sternly, pushing past him.

'That was weird.' Toshiro thought as he watched her go. 'Sure, we haven't been on the best of terms since the whole Grand Fisher thing, but it's been me who's avoided talking about it. Why would my beating something much worse than the Grand Fisher make her even more upset?'

* * *

"Rukia!"

The voice drove Rukia out of her brooding thoughts and she put on her fake smile.

"Oh, hi Orihime. How are you doing?"

Orihime jogged to catch up before settling in beside Rukia at a leisurely pace.

"I'm fine. In fact, I'm really excited about summer vacation! I'm just bursting with energy!"

"That's nice." Rukia said, surprising herself by actually meaning it.

"Do you have any plans for the summer, Rukia?"

"I might."

Orihime leaned closer, expecting a more detailed response.

"Like what?" she asked when none was forthcoming. "Are you doing something with Toshiro?"

"No." Rukia sighed. "The truth is, I'm trying to decide right now what I should do."

"Then why don't you come with Tatsuki and me to the fireworks festival next week?"

"Fireworks festival?"

"Yeah. Every year we have one to celebrate the beginning of the summer. It's amazing. You really must go."

"I'll think about it."

"Awwww." Orihime complained. "That's what adults say whenever they don't plan on doing something and don't want to say so."

* * *

"Yoruiiiichiii!" Urahara called. "I've got your milk!"

There was no response.

"Now where has that cat gone to?"

He stepped outside of the store, where the black cat was staring at the sky.

"Here you go." he said, half singing as he put the bowl of mil down.

"It's time you dropped that act." Yoruichi said in a startlingly deep voice. "I heard about what's going on, Urahara. We both know what's coming."

Urahara looked up at the sky as well.

"Do you want to talk about it before or after your milk?"

* * *

Uryu did not show up at school until after lunch. When he arrived his arms were covered in bandages most of the way up his forearms.

"Ishida?" the teacher asked. "How did you get hurt so badly?"

"I fell down a flight of stairs." he said nonchalantly.

"Stairs." the teacher asked skeptically.

"Yes. Stairs."

Much of the class stared at him as he took his seat.

'Top of the class,' Toshiro wondered, 'and _that's _the best story he could come up with?'

One student however, was looking not at Uryu, but out of the classroom window.

'For an instant,' Rukia reflected, 'I seriously considered taking Orihime up on that offer to go to the fireworks festival. I can't believe I even thought I should be here any longer.

'It's been more than a week now since I was ordered back to the Soul Society, and my powers still haven't returned. After yesterday's incident, they'll no longer consider this a minor matter.

'I have only one choice.'

* * *

Two figures in black appeared over the central park of Karakura Town.

"I'm checking for higher than usual reiatsus." one said, looking around. "So far nothing. If there is someone with Shinigami powers here, they're doing a good job keeping themselves hidden."

* * *

"Toshiro!" Rukia called as they were leaving school.

"What is it?" he asked, turning around. "A hollow?"

Rukia's eyes darted to the side. "No. Not this time."

"Then what?"

"I-I wanted to ask you, what your plans are for the summer."

"Oh." Toshiro thought for a second. "I was going to stick around, but now that you mention it, if Uryu's going to be able to take care of the hollows on his own I might go on a trip. It's been a long time since I've had had a chance to relax."

"I see." Rukia fidgeted uncomfortably. "And…are you feeling all right?"

"What?"

"After yesterday. Most Shinigami would need to take along rest after facing a Menos."

"Sure. I was worn out yesterday, but today I'm fine.

"In fact," Toshiro said seriously, "after yesterday I feel a lot more confident about being a Shinigami."

"That's good."

"Listen, Rukia, I'm sorry about what I said that time after the Grand Fisher fight. I was upset."

"We both were."

"I know." Toshiro smiled. "But things are looking up now. I actually feel like this is working out for the first time."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Rukia looked down. 'How can I tell him?'

* * *

She ran through the night.

_"I've never had a friend to watch movies with. It's a different experience from watching them by myself."_

'I should have left after he said that. There is no place in a Shinigami's life for friendship with a human. I do not belong here.'

_"Great! You can try out my new recipe! Peanut butter with olives and anchovies cooked with-"_

'I'm ashamed. I let myself grow attached to these people, to this environment. I actually _ wanted_ to stay longer.

'This is the end of that. No more hiding behind children for me. I'll move on to a different town, then to a different country, and when my powers return I'll be able to-'

"We've found you," a voice said from behind and above her, "Rukia Kuchiki."

Slowly, trembling with grim apprehension, Rukia turned around.

"Renji."

* * *

"They're here." Yoruichi said.

"Yes." Urahara acknowledged.

"Are you going to the boy now?"

Urahara shook his head. "I don't believe it's necessary."

* * *

The man with the long, red hair tied in a large ponytail leapt down and drew his sword. Rukia backed up instinctively.

"You had a pursuer from the Soul Society following you and you didn't even notice until I spoke?" he spat. "I don't care if you _are _in a gigai. In just two months you've gotten way to soft."

He raised his sword and pointer it at her. "Spit it out, Rukia."

When she did not answer he yelled in frustration. "Where's the stinking human who took your powers!"

"What are you talking about?" she protested. "Just because I'm in a gigai doesn't mean I lost my powers! Furthermore," she said with all the authority she could muster, "who says the one who supposedly took them is a human?"

"He _is _human." Renji said flatly. "Otherwise you wouldn't look so worried about him!"

Rukia's eyes widened as she realized her mistake at being unable to hide her feelings.

"You're just another kid from Rukungai like me." Renji said. "And yet you got taken in by the noble Kuchiki family. With all the money and training spent on you, you were to become one of the Shinigami elite."

He pointed at her. "You're Rukia _Kuchiki!_ It's not right for you to have such a human expression on your face. Isn't that right, Captain Kuchiki?"

Rukia froze. Slowly, as if her neck was a rusty lever, she turned her head to see the man standing behind her.

"Byakuya…brother."

"Rukia." Byakuya said emotionlessly.

"Hya!" Renji yelled, swinging his sword down at Rukia. She jumped out of the way, but her face was still cut from the attack.

"The transfer of Shinigami powers to a human is a class one felony." he said. "Leaving your capture to us instead of the correction corps was probably the brass' version of mercy.

"Now spill it, Rukia. Stop trying to hide the one who has your powers." He raised his sword over her head. "Don't think you dodged my attack before. I _let _you avoid it. This time I won't miss, unless you give him up."

Rukia was surprised to see Renji suddenly squint, and even more surprised to see him react and move out of the way of a blue bolt of energy.

"Who the hell did that?"

Rukia turned around. Uryu was walking towards them, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"My, my. Two men with swords attacking an unarmed girl. I don't like that sort of thing."

"Who are you supposed to be?" Renji demanded.

"Just a classmate of Rukia's. One who hates Shinigami."

"What are you doing here?" Rukia asked.

"That hardly matters right now, Rukia." Uryu held up his hand, summoning his bow.

* * *

Toshiro yawned as he got ready for bed.

'I guess Rukia went to sleep early. She did seem kind of tired today.'

He wrapped himself in his blanket.

'That dream I've been having. The voice is definitely the same one I heard when I fought that Menos Grande, but I started having those dreams long before I got Shiniami powers.

'What does it mean?'

Suddenly, Toshiro bolted up.

"Holy!" he yelled, looking out of the window.

'Those reiatsus that just appeared, they're insane!'

"Rukia!" he yelled, knocking on the closet door. When there was no answer he pulled it open. The closet was empty.

"Of all the times-Zilla." he realized.

"Zilla!" he called. "Where are you?"

He searched under his bed, in his drawers, and all over his room

"Damn it. Where the heck is he? Snooping around the house while everyone's asleep?"

Toshiro left his room and started looking through the house. He began with the living room, half expecting to find Zilla watching television when no one was around, but there was no toy to be found there at all, animate or otherwise. He checked the kitchen next.

Toshiro then began looking in the bathrooms. He quickly ruled out the ones he used. Soon the only places left in the house were the other bedrooms and the master bathroom. Deciding that the bathroom would be the easiest to check without waking anyone else he carefully snuck inside it.

Toshiro heard the sounds of a mumbled struggle. He found Zilla attached with scotch tape to the back of the toilet and his mouth was taped shut. Toshiro brought him back to his room before freeing his mouth.

"Ouch!" Zilla said. "What took you so long? I was stuck there for hours! I didn't care who the next person to come in was anymore! I was gonna scream for help like my life depended on it!"

"I never use the master bathroom. What happened?"

"It was Rukia!"

"Rukia?"

"Yeah! I saw her writing something earlier. When I asked her what it was she grabbed me and did this to me!"

Toshiro rubbed his chin. "She put you in a place where I wouldn't be able to find you easily, then disappeared. Now two huge reaitsus show up, and without either of you I couldn't turn into a Shinigami."

"Huge…reiatsus?"

"It's time to switch, Zilla. Rukia's in trouble."

* * *

Uryu collapsed in a pool of blood.

"That's what you get when a human tries to fight a Shinigami." Renji said.

'Renji's improved his skills again!' Rukia observed. 'With my full powers I wouldn't even stand a chance against him!

Renji raised his sword to deliver the final blow.

Suddenly, the pavement beneath his feet rose and cracked, forcing him to jump away to keep his balance.

"What now?" he complained, looking at the source of the newest distraction.

A small figure was hunched over several meters from where Renji had just been standing, holding a long sword to the smashed pavement.

"Who are you supposed to be?"

The figure rose, and it was still extremely small. "Toshiro Hitsugaya. And you are?"

'Toshiro!' Rukia thought, beginning to panic. 'What's he doing here? I thought he wouldn't be able to find Zilla for a least a day! That idiot! Why couldn't he just keep away?'

Renji smiled. "Renji Abarai. You're one tiny Shinigami, aren't you?" Then Renji saw his sword. "With a freaking _long _Zanpakuto. What squad are you with?"

'The size of a Shinigami's Zanpakuto is proportionate to the size of their reiatsu.' Renji thought. 'How can someone so small have one that big?'

He took his eyes from the sword to study Toshiro again.

"I get it. You're the human who took Rukia's powers."

"What makes you think that?" Toshiro asked.

"The way you carry yourself. A real Shinigami wouldn't have their head bowed down like that. They'd look their opponents _in the eye!"_

Renji sprang at Toshiro, bringing his Zanpakuto down on the boy's and not letting up. Toshiro was able to block each strike, but was forced to back up.

"Come on!" Renji screamed. "Is that huge Zanpakuto just for show!"

He stepped back, and Toshiro finally took a swing at him. But Renji had already leapt over him. He brought his sword around while Toshiro was still out of position, and scored a direct hit on Toshiro's left shoulder.

Toshiro fell to his knees, holding the wound.

"Toshiro!" Rukia yelled.

"It's over." Renji said. "You'll die, and the powers will go back to Rukia. Then she'll go back to the Soul Society to stand trial for her crimes. She may even die."

"Bastards." Toshiro whispered to himself.

"But man, are you a stupid little runt." Renji held his head up as if overcome with laughter. "Rukia left by herself so you wouldn't get involved. She was trying to save you! And you decided to come here and get yourself killed anyway.

"What did you expect? You're just a human who became a Substitute Shinigami. You could never hope to even put a scratch on us real one-"

Renji stopped and raised his hand to his chin. He was bleeding.

"If 'real' Shinigami distract themselves so easily," Toshiro said, brandishing his sword, "then this is going to be easy."

"Why you-" Renji breathed.

"You were careless, Renji."

Renji stopped. "Captain…"

"This boy," Byakuya said, "I've seen him before. The Secret Mobile Corps reported the other day that he inflicted a wound on a Menos Grande and sent it back to Hueco Mundo."

This time Renji really was overcome with laughter.

"You've got to be kidding me! The Secret Mobile Corps must be slipping!" He pointed at Toshiro. _"This _kid wounded a _Menos Grande! _I couldn't believe that even if I wanted to!

"Just look at him, captain! He's not even old enough to know his Zanpakuto's name!"

"Zanpakuto's…name?" Toshiro asked, looking at his sword.

_**My Name Is**_

_**Wield Me**_

'The dreams-does he mean there's a spirit in my sword that's trying to communicate with me?'

"I knew it." Renji scoffed. "You don't even know your sword's name. Someone like that trying to fight me as an euqual is _two thousand years too early!"_

Renji held his sword up and ran his hand over it.

"Howl, Zabimaru!"

Renji's sword transformed before Toshiro's eyes. It lengthened and split into six connected segments, each with two, long, sharp, pick-like protrusions.

Renji threw his arm forward, and his sword shot forth even farther than its length. The six joints, connected to each other by impossibly flexible joints, separated, giving the Zanpakuto a whip-like function.

Toshiro did not even try to block the attack. Instead he stepped to the side and let it pass him.

"Look out!" Rukia warned.

Toshiro had no time to even comprehend what happened next. The Zanpakuto spun around and raked him across the back, each pick-like protrusion digging deeper than the last.

Again, Toshiro fell forward, and this time, he dropped his sword.

"Sorry about that, kid." Renji said, not sounding apologetic at all. "But that's what's called a power gap." His sword pulled itself back together, and he raised it over Toshiro's head.

"Good bye."

"No!"

Rukia jumped on top of Renji, grabbing his sword arm to keep him from bringing it down.

"Stop this, Renji! He's just a child!"

"What are you doing?" Renji demanded of her. "Are you trying to make things worse for yourself?"

"Toshiro, if you can stand, please listen to me! You've got to run!"

Renji threw her to the ground. "That's enough out of you!" He turned back to Toshiro, who had picked up his sword and was starting to rise.

"You can still stand after that wound?" Renji asked, impressed. "Good. I was thinking it would be a shame to finish off someone who couldn't move anymore. What the hell are you mumbling about?"

Toshiro was looking at the ground whispering to himself. He raised a hand and looked straight at Renji.

"Bakudo Number Nine! Geki!"

A red energy surrounded Renji, freezing him in place. He grunted as he struggled against the spell, but ultimately could not even move his sword arm.

"You-taught-him-_kido_?" he growled at Rukia through clenched teeth. He was about to say more, but was stopped by the tip of Toshiro's sword appearing within an inch of his throat.

'He actually cast a bakudo spell powerful enough to hold Renji!' Rukia thought. 'This just makes it that much more likely that I'm going to face the death penalty.'

"This time it really is over." Toshiro said. "Go back where you came from, and I'll let you go."

Renji's eyes narrowed as he stared into Toshiro's.

"Go ahead. Do it."

"What?"

"I was wondering why you didn't kill me when you had two opportunities to do so before, especially when you first arrived. Now I see. You don't have the guts to kill me." He smirked. "Killing hollows that look like monsters is easy. Killing someone who looks like a person-for a child like you it's impossible."

Toshiro's hands shook as he tried to think of a response.

"If I'm wrong then do it!"

Toshiro, Renji, and Rukia all stared at his Zanpakuto with open mouths. Most of the blade had disappeared, leaving a stump only a few inches long.

'What happened?' Toshiro wondered. He turned to Byakuya, who was still in the same spot he had been standing in the whole time, ten meters away. 'He couldn't have done anything at that distance.'

Toshiro's eyes widened as they saw what Byakuya was holding, the majority of a broken Zanpakuto.

Byakuya dropped the sword and reached for his own. Toshiro turned to face him.

The next thing Toshiro knew, there was a hole in his chest.

'How? He stabbed me, but I don't even know if it was from the front, or the back.'

He fell forward, and next to him Byakuya muttered "How slow, even when falling."

He stabbed Toshiro again in midfall.

Rukia screamed, running towards Toshiro. Renji, now able to free himself of the binding spell, grabbed her by the throat.

"Don't. He's already dead. Don't add twenty years to your sentence for someone too far gone to even notice."

Rukia looked away, unable to take it. Renji let her go, and she collapsed in a sobbing heap.

Renji shook his head, then looked at Byakuya. "There was no need for you to interfere, captain. I had the situation under control."

"Come now, Renji." Byakuya said. "Even I will grow rusty if all I ever do is watch from the sidelines. Now let's go. It is time we bring Rukia back to face her fate."

"No…"

Byakuya looked down. Toshiro had pulled himself up slightly by grabbing onto the leg of Byakuya's kimono.

Rukia and Renji both gaped. 'How can he still be alive after being stabbed twice by Captain Kuchiki?' Renji wondered.

"You're….not…taking anyone…anywhere." Toshiro said in a pained voice.

Rukia appeared between him and Byakuya, kicking his hand away.

"Filthy human." she spat. "How _dare _you touch my brother."

Toshiro could only stare in shock as Rukia turned to Byakuya.

"I am ready to go back now, brother. This human's actions have opened my eyes. I will accept whatever punishment is awaiting me."

She nodded at Toshiro. "Let us go now. There is no need to waste a killing blow on this."

"Rukia…" Toshiro said, despair mixing with the pain in his voice.

Byakuya took another look at Toshiro. "Very well. We will leave now."

"Captain!" Renji said.

"I shattered his soul chain and soul sleep." Byakuya said. "His powers are gone for good, and with his his injuries he will bleed to death within the hour. Open the gate so we can leave this world."

"Very well sir." Renji stepped forward and held his sword as if he were performing a konso. A wooden gate appeared in midair. It opened, and the three Shinigami from the Soul Society stepped towards it.

"Wait…" Toshiro said, trying to crawl forwards.

"Stop." Rukia ordered. The venom in her voice did stop him.

"Just try to come after me. Just try to take one more step." She turned around, and Toshiro saw that her face was contorted with anger even as tears gushed from her eyes.

_"I'll never forgive you!"_

The hatred in her final words tore through Toshiro as hard as Renji and Byakuya's Zanpakuto. She turned and followed the others into gate, leaving a dying and despondent Toshiro.

"Ru…kia…"


	9. Chapter 9

The first thing Toshiro noticed was the pain. He was experiencing a great deal of it.

'I'm alive.' he realized.

"You're also awake, it seems."

Toshiro blinked. He must have fidgeted, but it was more than a little creepy that the speaker had known what he was thinking.

"Hat and Clogs." Toshiro whispered.

"The one and only." Urahara said, bowing slightly.

"You saved me?"

"Of course! How else could you still be breathing after fighting a captain?"

Toshiro frowned and looked around the room he was in. The design was old, being made entirely of wood without any plaster.

Toshiro was shirtless, and his chest, shoulders, and back were covered in bandages.

"Aren't you going to say thank you?" Urahara asked.

"Why should I?" Toshiro scoffed. "As usual, you waited until the fight was over to make an appearance. With all of you helping I might have stood a chance."

"Ah."Urahara said, pulling the brim of his hat down. "That is exactly why I did _not _interfere. I wanted you to see the difference between their strength and yours."

"I'm sick of these games of yours!" Toshiro yelled, sitting up quickly. He hunched over as the sudden movement caused a sharp pain in his chest.

"Don't overstrain yourself." Urahara cautioned. "You'll reopen your wounds."

"Sure," Toshiro breathed, holding his chest, _"now_ you care. What about when Rukia and I were fighting for our lives? What would you do if we were killed while you watched? Uryu and I were left for dead, and Rukia was taken away!"

Urahara glared at him from under the brim of his hat, but spoke softly to show that he was not upset. "How does that saying go? 'The more you know, the more realize how little you actually know?'"

Toshiro returned Urahra's glare, only actually meaning it. "Are you saying that you saved Rukia and Uryu too?"

"The Quincy is fine. I was able to fix him up on the spot. He's home now."

"And Rukia?"

Urahara sighed. "I'm afraid she's been taken back to the Soul Society to be executed."

Toshiro sighed, closed his eyes, and laid back down.

"Not the reaction I was expecting." Urahara observed.

"What were you expecting? For me to start yelling about the need to go recue her? I know a lost cause when I see one. That man, Rukia's brother. He said my powers are gone."

"They are." Urahara admitted.

Toshiro slammed his fist into the ground to his right.

"And even with my powers I was useless!" He sighed again. "Real Shinigami are in a totally different league from me at my best."

_"Filthy human."_

'She sounded so angry when she said that.' he reflected. 'Like that's really what she thought of me.'

"Did you already forget what I said?" Urahara asked. "That I let you go into this fight to show you the difference in strength?"

Tosho tuned his head towards Urahara again. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that your powers can be restored. If you so choose, you can go to the Soul Society to save Miss Kuchiki."

Toshiro's eyes widened.

"You're serious."

"Deadly serious."

Urahara turned around and began to walk out. "Don't make your decision right now. Give yourself a day to heal, and to think. You may decide that you no longer want to be a Shinigami. No one would think less of you if that was your decision."

Left alone, Toshiro sat up and began flexing his hand. He no longer felt the same strength flowing through it.

'I'm not a Shinigami anymore.'

* * *

It was the last day of school before summer vacation, but unlike the other students, Toshiro was not thinking about camp or the beach or spending weeks doing nothing but sleep.

'I never wanted to be a Shinigami in the first place.' he thought as he walked to school. 'It was forced on me on and I hated it.

'I'm still just a kid.' he reasoned later. 'Why should I risk my life all the time? Uryu can handle most of the hollows that would come around. There's no need for the town to have its own Shinigami.'

* * *

At the beginning of class, Toshiro noticed two empty desks: Rukia's and Uryu's. As the teacher read down the attendance list she paused at Uryu's name.

"Ishida's absent again? Hmm…It's a shame that a student like that should miss the last day.

"Next, Misora."

Toshiro started. He was sure that he had not heard correctly. The teacher had not skipped over Rukia's completely.

But it was the same throughout the day. Everyone wondered what was up with Uryu. No one even noticed that there was another student missing.

It was unnerving. Rukia was not only gone, but all traces of her presence had been removed as well.

'It is bad enough that she's been taken to be killed, but for it to be like she never existed at all…It's wrong.'

* * *

Toshiro walked home from school very troubled.

"Toshiro!"

He turned his head. "Oh, Orihime."

She looked at him seriously.

"What is it?"

"Toshiro, what happened with Rukia?"

He stopped. "What?"

"She didn't show up to school, and no one even remembers her! Why?"

Toshiro shrugged. "I don't know."

Orihime shook her head sadly. "Don't play games with me, Toshiro. I know you're a Shinigami."

Toshiro spun around in shock.

"How-"

"I've seen you and Rukia and Uryu fighting those monsters."

Toshiro groaned and ran his hand through his bangs. "Can't keep anything a secret anymore."

"So what happened to Rukia?"

Toshiro looked away, unsure of how to answer.

"She went back to where she came from."

"Oh." Orihime said, relieved. "I was worried it was something worse."

"She could die."

Orihime bit her lip as she internalized what Toshiro had said.

"What are you going to do?"

Toshiro turned away, looking at his toes.

"I don't know."

"You-you wouldn't leave her like that."

He looked up. Orihime had said it as a statement of fact, not as a question.

"Thanks. I've got to get going. I need to think."

"All right."

Toshiro looked in the direction he had been walking, towards his home, and then in the direction of the Urahara Shop.

'If Orihime could still remember Rukia, it must be because of her high spiritual power. So the fact that _I _still remember Rukia must mean that I still have a strong spiritual power too.

'Even without my Shinigami powers, I'd still see spirits and hollows. I'd still see them attack people. I can't just sit by when that happens.

'And there is still the matter of the Grand Fisher. I promised I'd kill him for Momo, though any psychologist would tell me to forget about it. Still, he will be coming for me again someday, and that is one hollow I can't count on Uryu to stop.'

_"You wouldn't leave her like that."_

'I'm not as certain as Orihime that that's the sort of person I am. I know I wasn't just two months ago.

_"Don't be selfish! _

_"Shinigami must treat all souls equally. Wanting to save only those you see in front of you, this line of work is not that convenient."_

'Is that what you meant back then, Rukia?'

* * *

"So you've decided." Urahara said when Toshiro entered his store.

"I have."

"Then come downstairs."

Toshiro followed Urahara through a trap door in the back of the shop. Toshiro squinted as they entered a room that was brightly lit.

"Whoa!" Urahara exclaimed. "Who knew that there was such a big space under my store?"

Toshiro's eyes began to adjust to the light, and he saw that they were in a vast expanse that stretched as far as the eye could see. While it was already nighttime above, in the strange, rocky world beneath Urahara's Shop there were somehow clear, sunny skies. Close by were all of the employees of the Urahara Shop.

"Psst." Urahara whispered. "This is the part where you say something in admiration."

"Let's get on with it already." Toshiro said.

"All right." Urahara walked a small distance away, then began to speak in a serious tone.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Toshiro, but if I'm not mistaken, you began having strange dreams soon after your sister was murdered by a hollow. Dreams involving a voice."

Toshiro's eyes narrowed. "How long have you been watching me?"

"Am I wrong?"

"No."

"I thought so. You, Toshiro Hitsugaya are perhaps the most interesting human in existence, in that you began to manifest Shinigami powers even before ever encountering a Shinigami."

_"You don't know your sword's name."_

"What does that mean?" Toshiro asked, matching Urahra's seriousness.

"It means that when Byakuya Kuchiki stabbed you, he only removed the powers you gained from his sister, not those you were already developing on your own."

Toshiro nodded. "I've noticed that my reiatsu is still well above that of most people."

"Good." Urahara came close to Toshiro again. He raised his cane and poked him in the forehead with it. Toshiro fell out of his body.

But this time was different. Unlike when he had turned into a Shinigami, Toshiro's soul form wore the same clothes as his physical body. He also had a chain connecting his chests together.

"But as you can see, having higher than normal reiatsu is not the same as having Shinigami powers. We're going to have to wake it up."

"How?"

Suddenly, an axe, swung by Tessai, came down between Toshiro and his body, severing the chain keeping Toshiro alive.

Before Toshiro could even scream in protest, a giant sink hole opened beneath him, and he fell all the way to the bottom.

Toshiro screamed as Tessai cast a binding spell on him to hold his arms behind his back in a straightjacket-like material.

"What the hell are you doing!" Toshiro screamed, struggling against the bonds.

"Climb back up here!" Urahara yelled from the top of the hole. "If you can do that, your Shinigami powers will return!"

"How is that supposed to help!" Toshiro yelled back. "And how am I supposed to do it without my arms!"

Urahara ignored his questions. "Oh, and you've got three days before the chains eat themselves! When they're gone you'll turn into a hollow, and we'll have to kill you! So no pressure!"

"Eat themselves?" Toshiro looked at what several feet of chain still connected to his soul form. The end links has begun to sport mouths that were already chewing their way through the next links.

"Oh crap."

Toshiro bent his knees and leapt with all of his strength. He jumped nearly ten meters before falling back down to the bottom of the hole.

'Damn.' he thought. 'Didn't even come close. This kind of jump would be child's play if I had my powers back, but just having above average reiatsu won't cut it.'

Toshiro looked at the top of the hole.

'Even if I could jump that high, it doesn't make sense that that should restore my Shinigami powers. It must be that I'm supposed to jump out after getting them back, not as a prerequisite, but how?'

_"You don't know your sword's name!" _

_"Dreams involving a voice."_

* * *

"That's what Toshiro said?" Chad asked.

"Yes." Orihime answered, standing in his doorway. "This has got to be what Mr. Urahara was talking to us about the other day. Toshiro's going to go rescue Rukia, and he may need our help."

"I don't see how we can be of much help." Chad said. "We still don't even know how to use our powers."

"Then why don't you learn how?" a male voice said behind Orihime. She turned around, but there was no one there.

"Who spoke just now?" Chad asked, looking from above her.

"Down here." the voice said again. Chad and Orihime looked down to see a black cat standing in front of them.

"Did that cat just talk?" Chad asked in a monotone voice that belied his shock.

"My name is Yoruichi." the cat said. "If the two of you wish to use your powers to help Toshiro Hitsugaya, I can teach you how."

* * *

Jinta looked over the edge of the hole. "What's he doing? It looks like he's fallen asleep."

"Indeed he has." Urahara said. "Tessai!"

"What is it, manager?" the large man asked next to the sleeping Toshiro.

"Cut off all but the last five links!"

"But if I do that, he'll turn into a hollow almost immediately! He needs more of a chance!"

"No." Urahara declared. "He needs more of a push."

* * *

Toshiro opened his eyes and looked around. He was in dark, frozen plain.

"I made it."

**"So you have finally come of your own free will."**

A wind gusted, knocking Toshiro over. The great blue dragon had approached.

"So you're my Zanpakuto." Toshiro said, getting up.

**"It has taken you far too long to realize that, boy."**

"Sorry. I honestly thought these have been nightmares."

**Boom!**

The wind suddenly increased in intensity, and the ground began to crack. Shards of ice rose into the air as the world shook ferociously.

Toshiro fell down again.

"Stop that!" he yelled.

**"I am doing nothing, boy. This world is falling apart because you are transforming into a hollow even as we speak."**

"No." Toshiro breathed. "I can't be yet. It was supposed to take three days!

"Hat and Clogs." he growled.

* * *

Toshiro was screaming in agony as a white liquid began to swirl around his face. The liquid began to settle above his left eye, solidifying into part of a mask.

"Manager!" Tessai yelled. "It's too late! He's transforming! I must eliminate him now before he completes the transformation!"

"Not yet!" Urahara yelled. "Give him more time! He can still do this!"

* * *

Toshiro collapsed to all fours.

"This-this wasn't supposed to happen. This was just about getting my powers back."

**"Why do you despair of that goal?"**

Toshiro looked at the dragon, his eyes full of fright.

**"You are not yet a hollow, and the collapse of this world has freed the power that became dormant when Byakuya Kuchiki defeated you."**

"Freed it?"

**"Yes. Do you see these ice shards that fill the air?"**

"Yes."

**"Inside one of them is your power. All you must do is find it."**

Toshiro looked around. There were thousands, maybe millions of the ice shards all around.

"How?" he asked, panicking.

The dragon turned away.

**"Perhaps you are too young to wield the power of a Shinigami after all."**

Toshiro slapped his own cheek, trying to force himself to remain calm.

'It's got to be something simple, something as easy as finding a red spirit thread among white ones.'

His eyes widened.

'Wait. Could it really be _that_ easy? The red threads _are _supposed to symbolize Shinigami powers.'

He closed his eyes in concentration, and around him white threads shot out of each ice shard.

Toshiro looked around frantically. 'There's so many! I may still never find it!'

He leapt through the threads, desperately looking for a hint of red. The ground was beginning to pull itself apart.

"There!"

Toshiro saw it. The red thread, no more than five meters away. He leapt again, grabbing it and pulling on it.

The ice shard the red thread was connected to burst, revealing the hilt of a sword, a hilt with a four pointed guard.

'That's it!'

Toshiro turned to the dragon.

**"What is wrong? You have found me. Grasp the handle."**

"I know."

**"Then hurry! There is not much time left before this world is destroyed completely!"**

"I can hear you much more clearly this time." Toshiro said. "Is it because I chose to come?"

**"Perhaps, but what does that-"**

"Before I go, tell me your name."

* * *

The mask was almost complete on Toshiro's face.

"I cannot wait any longer, manager!" Tessai yelled. "It must be now!"

He cast another bakudo spell, this one creating a large stone weight above the hole.

"Hey!" Jinta yelled. "That'll kill him!"

"I have no choice!"

The weight dropped directly onto Toshiro, and a bright light erupted from the whole. Urahara grabbed Jinta and Ururu and pushed them back to shield them. The light hit the ground fifteen meters away, creating a cloud of smoke.

The first thing the employees of the Urahara Shop noticed in the smoke was the black outfit. The second thing they noticed as the smoke began to clear was the white mask with the demonic markings.

"What happened?" Jinta asked. "Is he a Shinigami, or a hollow?"

Toshiro raised a hand and pulled the mask off of his face. He threw it to the ground contemptuously and glared at Urahara, who smiled.

"Good! You've got your powers back just in time!"

"Um, Mr. Urahara?" Ururu said. "He looks scarier than before."

"Oh, that's just because he's mad at me again. Though I don't think he'll stay that way. You can't argue with results!"

Toshiro said nothing, raising his hand to the blade sheathed across his back.

"Hyorinmaru."

Urahara was forced to shield his youngest employees again as the world went white.


	10. Chapter 10

Renji noticed for the first time that the halls he walked through were brightly lit. He thought it strange that he had never realized this truth about the aesthetics of the barracks of the Sixth Division of the Court Guard Squads. In the short time since he had become the squad's lieutenant, he had never had as much reason to be in such a dark mood as he was then and there.

The reason he was upset began teasing him as soon as he found her.

"Oh, what does the big _lieutenant_ want with me?" Rukia Kuchiki said from inside her cell.

"Shut up."

"Oh, I'm sorry, _lieutenant."_

"I said shut up!" he yelled. "Don't you understand the position you're in?"

Rukia nodded and sat down on the one piece of furniture in her cell, a wooden chair that faced the back wall and away from the bars Renji stood behind.

"Do you think I'm really going to be executed?" she asked grimly.

"What?" Renji asked, taken aback. "No! Captain Kuchiki is meeting to discuss your sentence now. I'm sure he'll ask for some sort of clemency."

Rukia looked down. "Then I am doomed."

Renji gripped the bars of the cell tightly. "That's ridiculous! He's your brother!"

Rukia turned her head enough for Renji to see one of her eyes narrow.

"In the forty years since I joined the Kuchiki house, not once has that man looked at me."

Rukia was proven right and Renji wrong when Byakuya Kuchiki finally returned. He recited the sentence robotically, as if he had been asked to memorize it.

"The class one felon, Rukia Kuchiki, shall be sentenced to death. The sentence will be carried out twenty-five days from now through the use of the Sokyoku. This is the final decision of the Soul Society."

As Byakuya left, Renji had to grab the prison bars again to steady his shaking knees. Rukia merely turned away and stared at the wall.

* * *

Tessai climbed down the ladder into Urahara's underground training facility.

"Manager," he said, "Yoruichi has returned."

"Thank you." Urahara said in an unusually deep voice. "Toshiro, would you please go upstairs for a bit? I need to finish checking out the gate."

Toshiro, having finally learned not to question the eccentricities of Mr. Hat and Clogs, gave him a perplexed look before following Tessai back into the shop.

Just outside were Orihime and Chad.

Toshiro blinked a few times to be certain that he was not seeing things.

"What are you doing here?"

"We're here to help you." Orihime said.

"We both realize that we owe you and Rukia." Chad added.

Toshiro raised his hand, gesturing to them to stop. "So you can see me. That doesn't mean you can come with me. This is going to be really dangerous, and you two don't even have any powers."

"Neither did you, at one point." a deep voice said. "Things change."

Toshiro looked around to see who had spoken, but as far as he could tell there was no one there.

Orihime bent down and picked up a black cat. She held it up to Toshiro.

"Hello, Toshiro Hitsugaya." the cat said. "It is a pleasure to meet you at last. I am Yoruichi."

Toshiro raised both of his hands to his forehead. "Now there's a talking cat. As if my life wasn't weird enough."

"You're taking it better than I did." Chad said.

"These two have recently undergone extensive training just as you have." Yoruichi said. "You will find both of them quite capable."

"If you insist on going alone," a familiar voice said, "you're going to be sorely outvoted."

Toshiro looked around Orihime (being far too short to look over her) at the new arrival. "You, at least, I half-expected."

"I don't like living in the debt of Shinigami." Uryu said.

Toshiro analyzed him critically. Uryu was wearing the same Quincy uniform he had worn when he had first revealed himself to Toshiro and Rukia, but there was one addition, a white glove with blue stripes on only one of his hands.

"Am I to assume that you've been training yourself?" Toshiro asked.

"Of course." Uryu answered.

Toshiro looked at each of the three who were determined to become his companions on his mission.

"If we all go to the Soul Society, who'll be left to protect the town if hollows attack while we're gone?"

"Oh, you can count on us to take care of that." Urahara said from behind him, wiping his nose with a handkerchief.

"That just fills me with confidence." Toshiro muttered.

"What?" Urahara asked, acting insulted. "Don't you trust m-m-me-**achoooo!"**

"Are you all right?" Orihime asked.

"Yeah." Urahara said, wiping his nose again. "Yoruichi must've been talking about me a lot lately."

"Idiot." Yoruichi said, looking to the side. "I haven't mentioned your name all week."

"He caught a cold while we were training." Toshiro explained as Urahara sneezed even harder than the previous time.

"Well," Uryu said, "there's no way he's coming with us like that."

"No." Yoruichi said. "I will guide you. My knowledge of the Soul Society is about as extensive as Kisuke's."

"Well," Urahara said, his voice now higher than usual because he was speaking through a stuffed nose, "shall we get started?"

Underneath the store, Urahara revealed a large window-like structure made of hewn stone.

"This is the senkaimon. The gate to the Soul Society."

He paused to allow his guests to gaze in wonder, but even Orihime looked impatient.

"Get on with it." Yoruichi said.

"Very well. I must warn all of you that we can only keep this gate open for four minutes. You must reach the other side by then."

"And what happens if we don't?" Toshiro asked.

"You'll be-**achoo! Achoo! Achoo! Achoo! ACHOO!"**

Yoruichi shook his head. "And here he was doing so well. I guess I'll have to explain." He walked up to the gate and faced the four superpowered classmates.

"If you fail to reach the other end in time," Yoruichi said gravely, "you will be trapped in the space between worlds for eternity."

Toshiro bit his lip, then turned to the others. "I made my decision, but the rest of you can still back out."

"No way." Orihime said. Chad nodded.

"Don't make getting out-voted into a bad habit." Uryu said, pushing his glasses up. "You'd make a horrible politician."

The gate began to glow blue, and Urahara, having regained his composure, said "The gate is about to open. Please jump in simultaneously when it does."

They assembled right in front of the gate and waited.

"Now!" Yoruichi yelled as the light began to fade to reveal a rippling substance between the stones. The group all disappeared into the potal.

"They're off." Tessai said.

Jinta walked up to the portal. "So things are going to be pretty boring around here for a while, huh?"

"Maybe." Urahara said. "Bu-bu-bu-**ACHOOOOO!"**

Urahara took out his hankerchief. "That was a good one. I'm a lot less stuffed now."

He walked past a shaking Jinta, who was covered head to toe in snot.

Tessai looked him over. "Clean yourself up, young man."

"Y-yes, sir."

* * *

There was nothing but blackness, and yet they could see clearly.

"What's going on?" Uryu yelled as they ran through the precipice world between dimensions. The walls are closing in and following us!"

"If you have time to look behind you and talk," Yoruichi scolded, "then you should run faster."

No sooner had the words left Yoruichi's mouth than a liquidy tendril had shot out of the wall following them, ensnaring Uryu's cape. He screamed and struggled until Chad tore the cape off of him and lifted him over his shoulders.

"Thanks." Uryu muttered as Chad continued to run while carrying him. He was grateful that he was facing the other direction so no one could see his embarrassment.

'I didn't want to use my because I couldn't carry any of them.' he thought. 'Well, maybe I could have carried Toshiro, but that would mean leaving the others behind.'

"Um, guys…" he said, continuing to look back. "There's a light heading toward us."

"It's the cleaner!" Yoruichi yelled. "Double time it! If that thing touches us we're done for!"

"I see the end!" Toshiro yelled. There was a light at the end of the tunnel that had just come into view.

"Move!" Yoruichi urged.

"We're not gonna make it" Uryu, the only one with a view of the cleaner's position, yelled.

Orihime turned around. The others yelled her name, but she paid them no heed.

"Hinagiku! Baigon! Lily! Santen Keshu! I reject!"

A triangle shaped barrier of energy appeared between them and the cleaner. The impact caused an explosion that blew the rescue party through the exit of the tunnel.

They materialized in midair and all fell to the ground painfully.

Yoruichi was the only one to land on his feet.

"What's wrong with you?" he scolded Orihime. "Turning around like that! If anything other than your shield had touched the cleaner you'd have been sucked in forever!"

"I'm sorry."

"That's enough." Toshiro said. "Orihime probably saved us all with her move. We wouldn't have gotten out if not for her."

They looked around. They had landed in an old looking straight out of feudal Japan with unpaved roads.

"So this is Soul Society." Uryu said. "It looks like it's from the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries."

"I don't see any people around." Toshiro said. The child in him could not help but think 'This is really another world!'

"They're here." Yoruichi assured him. "They're probably hiding from us because we fell out of the sky.

"This is Rukongai. It is the first place most souls go to when they die. It is a territory that surrounds the Seretei, which is where the Shinigami reside."

"There's an area over there that's paved and looks more modern." Toshiro said, pointing in the direction of the different-looking area.

"That's the edge of the Seretei."

Toshiro motioned in the direction of the Seretei. "Let's go."

The humans ran towards the Seretei, over Yoruichi's objections.

"Don't approach that place recklessly!"

A great wall came down between them and the Seretei with a loud thud.

Toshiro looked from side to side. More sections of a thirty meter tall wall were falling into place, kicking up large clouds of dust.

"They came out of thin air." Orihime said.

Toshiro nodded. "Like we did. They must hide these walls in the precipice world until an intruder shows up."

"It's actually a pretty ingenious defense system."

"Thank you, intruder. It is always nice to be complimented."

Toshiro and the others looked at the clearing smoke in front of them to find the source of the voice.

"It has been a long time since anyone has tried to breach the gate of pure souls without a pass."

Before them stood a giant, fifteen meters tall and eight meters wide. He wore Shinigami clothes.

"What is he?" Uryu asked Yoruichi. "I thought Shinigami were supposed to be the same size as humans."

"He is Jidanbou." Yoruichi said. "He is one of those chosen to guard the four great gates of the Seretei. For three hundred years he has guarded the western gate, and not once has he allowed an intruder to enter his gate."

Jidanbou raised a gigantic axe that was as thick as a man is wide.

"Who will be the first to fight me?" he asked.

Toshiro stepped forward. "I will."

"Wait." Yoruichi cautioned. "You will need a plan. It may take all of us to defeat him."

Jidanbou laughed. "I think not! In this town we have a rule: All battles are fought one on one!"

He swung his axe over Toshiro's head at the ground behind him, carving into the ground. A barrier of stones separated Toshiro from the rest of the group.

Toshiro did not react at all to Jidanbou's move. His hand slowly moved to the hilt of his sword.

Behind the stones Jidanbou had thrown up, Chad and Orihime were crouching, preparing for action.

"I'm going to punch a hole right through this rock." Chad said. "The moment I do, you use your attack. He won't be prepared for it."

"Right."

"What are you whispering?" Jidanbou roared. "My ears are as big as the rest of me, so don't try any funny plans."

"You can stay out of this one." Toshiro yelled back. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Uryu called.

"Yeah. This guy's a pushover compared to the two we fought that last time."

"A…pushover?"

'Now that he mentions it,' Uryu thought, 'this guy's reiatsu doesn't seem all that high.' He closed his eyes to be able to concentrate on the strength of their foe. 'Is it because it's less than the reiatsus of those other Shinigami, or does it just seem that way because we've become that much stronger?'

"Is that all?" Jidanbou asked, growing impatient.

"Yes." Toshiro drew his Zanpakuto completely and assumed a fighting stance. "We can fight now."

Jidanbou grinned from ear to ear. "Good." He raised his axe above his head and swung it down with all of his might at Toshiro.

Toshiro swung his sword in an upward direction. The weapons met with a sound of thunder.

Uryu and Orihime screamed as an extremely large metal object flew over the stone wall at them. They and Chad just jumped out of the way in time to avoid getting crushed.

In front of the barrier, Jidanbou stared at his hand. It held only a large wooden stump.

Youichi leapt on top of the metal object now embedded in the ground.

"So he destroyed Jidanbou's axe with his first attack."

"M-my a-ax-axe…" Jidanbaou whimpered.

**"My axe! Why'd you have to destroy my axe!" **He began sobbing uncontrollably and pounding the ground.

"Um, sorry." Toshiro said, stunned by the turn of events. "I was in a hurry so I wanted to end the fight quickly, and that seemed like a better idea than actually hurting you."

"No." Jidanbou continued to sob. 'You care, even though you're my enemy." He picked Toshiro up by his sides.

"What a kind-hearted person you are."

"Um…er…" Toshiro looked down, not happy about being lifted off of the ground.

Jidanbou put him down, much to Toshiro's relief. "Look at me! I'm crying like a baby over an axe! I'm a disgrace as a man!"

He threw his hands up in resignation. "It's a total defeat!"

"Um, does that mean we can pass?" Toshiro asked.

"Yes." Jidanbou said. "I will open the gate for you now."

As Jidanbou turned to open the gate the rest of the group came forward.

"Toshiro's really strong, isn't he?" Orihime asked.

'It's more than that.' Uryu realized. 'He _knows_ how much his strength has improved, probably because he had Urahara to compare himself again.

'He doesn't consciously hold back, because he wants to win as quickly and as easily as possible. That hasn't changed. But he did not release his Zanpakuto the way Renji Abarai did. I thought that that was what Urahara wanted to teach him the most.

'If Toshiro can release his Zanpakuto, it doesn't make sense for him not to, unless…'

"Wow." Orihime said as Jidanbou lifted the massive gate up over his head. "I didn't think anyone could lift something that big."

"It helps to be a giant." Yoruichi said.

They began to walk past Jidanbou, but Toshiro, who was still first, stopped.

A white haired man in Shinigami clothes and a white kimono stood before them.

"Who is that?"

Jibanbou was shaking uncontrollably.

"That looks like a captain." Yoruichi said.

"A captain?"

_Byakuya dropped the sword and reached for his own. Toshiro turned to face him._

_The next thing Toshiro knew, there was a hole in his chest._

"Y-yes." Jidanbou stammered. "That is the captain of squad three, Gin Ichimaru."

"Damn it." Toshiro said. 'To fight another captain: I never imagined this would happen so quickly. What are we supposed to do?'

There was a flash of light, and Jidanbou's arm burst in an explosion of blood. All of the rescue party stared in shock as his arm fell the humungous gate collapsed onto his shoulders.

'I wasn't paying enough attention.' Toshiro thought. 'If he had targeted one of us with that attack we'd be dead.'

He focused on the captain. 'But if he tries that sword extension technique again I should be able to dodge from that distance. Unless he can make it even faster than that.'

"Not good at all." Gin said, smiling. "What are you doing?"

"I lost." Jidanbou admitted. "Once I lost, I had no choice but to open the gate."

"No," Gin said, his smile widening, "when a gatekeeper loses, he doesn't open the gate.

"It means death."

"Toshiro!" Yoruichi yelled. "We have to retreat!"

"Right." Toshiro said. He and the others turned and ran. "Drop the gate, Jidanbou!"

It seemed that the giant could not have held it up much longer anyway. He fainted right after letting the gate go, his body going into shock.

The gate slammed down with a thud and the rescue party stood behind it, farther from their goal than before.

"Now how are we supposed to get in?" Toshiro asked in frustration.


End file.
